By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Looking very much like a favorite in the District 32-5A girls basketball race, Brownsville Veterans Memorial opened conference play Tuesday with a 54-20 victory at Pace.

The Lady Chargers, now 15-4 overall, did nothing to diminish their reputation as one of the top teams to beat in 32-5A this season.

It was the district opener for each of the ballclubs, both playoff qualifiers last season.

After spotting Pace a 2-0 lead, the Lady Chargers surged to a 14-8 advantage by the end of the first quarter and were up 30-8 at halftime after outscoring the Lady Vikings 16-0 during the second period. Brownsville Veterans took a 46-14 lead into the final quarter before winning by 34 points.

The Lady Chargers’ largest lead of 37 points, 51-14, came when Hannah Meyers scored on a drive with 4:20 remaining.
It was definitely a strong showing.

“We’ll let other people talk about that, and we’ll just do the work and play,” Brownsville Veterans coach Valentin Paz said when asked if his squad is the favorite in the 32-5A race. “One down, 13 more (32-5A games) to go. We have to work harder to get better.”

After sitting out some of the first half due to foul trouble, Meyers enjoyed quite a productive final two quarters offensively to lead her team in scoring with a game-high 20 points.

Teammates Jordan Rudd and Ares Muzquiz added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Continuing to be an accurate shooter from the outside, Muzquiz again hit four 3-pointers. Rudd had one 3-pointer.

For Pace, Kaylynn Quezada was the top scorer with eight points. Six other players scored two points apiece for the Lady Vikings, now 7-10 on the season.

“That’s a good team over there,” said Pace coach Eddie Lozano, referring to the Lady Chargers. “I haven’t seen all the teams yet, so I can’t say they’re the best team in our district, but they’re pretty good.

“A game like this shows us what we need to work on,” Lozano added. “We’ll get better.”

Paz said he was happy to see his squad start off district with such a solid effort.

“We wanted to come out and make a statement, and I think we did, particularly on defense,” he said. “I think we rushed a lot of things (offensively), so we still have a lot of work to do. But it’s good that we’ve got room to grow. We’ve just got to keep working hard and correct some things.

“(As a team,) we commended Hannah for staying focused after getting into foul trouble,” Paz added. “She sat out almost the entire second quarter. Then she came back and scored like 16 of her points in the second half. We talk about playing in the moment, forgetting about what has already happened, and she did. She had a great game. The whole team commended her for staying focused.”

District 32-5A competition continues at 7:30 p.m. Friday as Brownsville Veterans is at home against Mercedes and Pace visits Porter.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The biggest swimming meet of the school year in South Texas takes place Friday and Saturday at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center.

The Pre-Regional Showcase begins at 11:30 a.m. Friday. There will be prelims in swimming and diving the first day. The finals are scheduled Saturday with the diving to start at 9 a.m. and the swimming to follow at 10 a.m.

The meet is attracting a multitude of teams from the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and Corpus Christi.

“(There are) 804 swimmers, 42 teams — that’s the most ever,” said Monica Rosales, Clark Aquatic Center administrator and meet director. “This will be a real good indicator of which teams should do well at the Region VIII-6A Meet (on Feb. 3 at the Clark Aquatic Center).

“There’s a little more pressure to make it to the finals in this meet,” Rosales added. “I think coaches are putting their best relays together (to see how they measure up with the competition). It should be very interesting.”

The Clark Center is one of the few aquatic facilities in South Texas that can accommodate such numbers of swimmers and divers for a high school meet.

The top 16 qualifiers in each swimming event advance to Saturday’s competition with eight making it to the championship finals and the other eight swimming in the consolation finals.

The primary objective for coaches at a big meet like this one becomes fairly obvious.

“Our goal is to try to get as many kids as possible into the finals on Saturday,” Los Fresnos coach Albino Cisneros said.

Added Rivera coach Ryan Shea, “We’ve just been focusing on our swimmers making it to the finals.”

There’s strategy involved for the coaches as well considering the high level of competition.

“We are in a fortunate position to use a bit of strategy with the depth we have on our team this year,” Hanna coach Sam Perez said. “We have room to explore options with relays and individual events, so it makes for an exciting and competitive meet.

“The wild card is figuring out in which events other coaches will swim their top swimmers,” Perez added. “So we are going in hopeful and watchful. (We’re) studying times and trends.”

The defending team champions are the McAllen Memorial girls and Tuloso-Midway boys.

Last year, the Memorial girls won with 290 points followed by Laredo Alexander with 196 and Los Fresnos with 186. The T-M boys won with 288 points ahead of McAllen High with 207 and Sharyland High with 167.

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers are showing they’re a force to be reckoned with this basketball season.

The Chargers came on strong in the second half to pull away from Harlingen High 72-46 in non-district action Tuesday at the Brownsville Veterans gym.

The victory gives the Chargers, winners of the Brownsville ISD and Pearland Invitational tournaments, a 12-2 mark to start the season.

Brownsville Veterans led 20-14 after one quarter, 31-24 at halftime and 53-31 after three periods by outscoring the Cardinals 22-7 during the third quarter. They won 72-46 by outpointing the visitors 19-15 in the final eight minutes.

Chargers coach Larry Gibson said his players were a little sluggish to start out the game Tuesday after traveling so much and playing at the Pearland Tournament over the weekend.

“We played five games in three days and we just came off that road trip (to Houston), so our guys came out and their legs were real heavy early in this game,” Gibson said. “I think the first half we came out sluggish, but we picked it up in the second half. You saw what we are capable of in the final two quarters.

“That (strong second-half showing, outscoring Harlingen High 41-22) made us, the coaches, very proud because we had been kind of upset that the team wasn’t playing like we did to win the tournament in Houston,” Gibson added. “We showed what type of team we are in the second half.”

Harlingen High coach Leeroy Sanchez said his team, now 7-5, expected quite a battle against the Chargers, who are now in a different district than his ballclub.

“Brownsville Veterans is a heck of a team,” Sanchez said. “Some of their guys have been together for three or four years, so they’re a real good team. We’ve played them in the past when they were in out district. We knew what we were coming into tonight.

“We have a lot of young guys and they were going up against some experienced players,” Sanchez added. “We stayed close with them in the first half, but they’re a really good team and they got after it in the second half.”

It was a balanced scoring effort for the Chargers, who had four players in double figures. Leading the way was Aaron Villarreal with 18 points followed by Kevin Gomez with 15, Erick Saldana with 13 and Alex Marquez with 10. Gomez hit three 3-pointers.

The Cardinals were led by Reece Ortega’s 10 points. Teammates Eric Ramirez and John Gonzales each added eight points. Also, Mike Arellano and John Ortega contributed seven points apiece, each with a 3-pointer.

The biggest lead for the Chargers was 28 points, 67-39, with 2:01 remaining when Justin Anaya hit a 3-pointer from the right side.

“We’re trying to peak for district,” Gibson said. “We’re trying to get our rotation set and get everything ready so we’ll be prepared for Edcouch-Elsa on Dec. 30.

“I’m just proud of the way our guys are playing defense,” the Chargers coach added. “Even though we came out sluggish tonight, our defense was still there, and as long as we play defense, we’ll be in all of our games.”

Brownsville Veterans won’t play again until the Chargers visit Rivera next Tuesday. Harlingen High next plays in La Feria’s C.E. Vail Tournament, which begins Thursday.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Los Fresnos and Brownsville Veterans Memorial enjoyed standout volleyball seasons in 2016, so it’s not surprising the top players on The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Team are from those two schools.

Both teams were district champions with 14-0 conference records — Los Fresnos in District 32-6A and Brownsville Veterans in District 32-5A. Each team advanced two rounds in the state playoffs.

For the Lady Falcons, outside hitter/all-around player Jackie Kingsbury, a 5-foot-11 senior, is the All-Metro most valuable player, while teammate Isis Delgado, a sophomore libero, is the defensive player of the year.

For the Lady Chargers, a pair of juniors are top honorees. They are middle blocker Bridget Himes as offensive player of the year and Cassandra Valdez as setter of the year.

Also, for their efforts in guiding their squads to success, Lisa Mares of Brownsville Veterans and Becky Woods of Los Fresnos are co-coaches of the year.

Rounding out the list of top honorees for this year’s All-Metro Team are Pace’s Ebony Casanova as libero of the year and Hanna’s Halle Penrod as newcomer of the year. Both are seniors.

Penrod overcame a serious knee injury that kept her sidelined for an extended time. Finally as a senior, after three years of waiting, Penrod gained medical clearance to play and made a strong contribution, particularly at the net, for the Lady Golden Eagles as they qualified for the playoffs.

“Halle became living proof to never give up,” Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said. “Most of us might have given up, but she was determined and worked hard on her comeback. She became an example for all varsity athletes. I truly admired that.”

Casanova has been a steady presence in the back row and at the service line for Pace since she was a freshman. She became a libero during her junior year. This season she led Pace with 886 digs and 62 service aces.

“Ebony has been the heart and soul of our defense,” Pace coach Gavin Rudder said. “Just having her back there and having her pick up (the serves and kill attempts of) any of the hardest hitters you throw at her has been amazing. Having her on the team is a joy. You don’t get blessed with a player like her for a four-year span very often. It’s been real nice.”

Himes missed the early part of the season due to an ankle injury, but she was available and shined for the Lady Chargers went it mattered most in district. Playing pretty much just half the season, the 5-10 Himes still led her team with 212 kills and 48 blocks.

“I worked really hard in the offseason because I wanted to show my team that we could go far,” Himes said. “With every kill I just wanted to end the rally, hoping that we could win. We’re very excited for next year and the new girls we have coming up. “It makes me feel very happy (to receive postseason honors) because I feel I’ve worked very hard to be where I am,” Himes added. “My parents have sacrificed a lot, so I’m glad it’s all paying off.”

As a setter, Vasquez has developed a productive relationship with Himes and the other hitters for the Lady Chargers.

Vasquez led the team with 507 assists this season and recorded 378 digs, which ranked second on the squad. Even though she’s a junior, Valdez already has committed to play softball for UT-San Antonio after graduating from Brownsville Veterans.

“It was an honor to play on this team,” Valdez said. “The seniors made it a great experience. They did their part, I did my part and we played as a team. It was just an awesome season for us. Bridget and I were a duo. When we needed a kill, I knew I could set the ball for her (and she would come through). We have to give it up to our defenders, too, such as (libero) Paola (Villarreal). She gave her best and gave us great passes (to help set up kills).

“Getting honors like this one (on the All-Metro Team) means I did my job,” Valdez added. “All my hard work is paying off.”

Another underclassman who is a steady performer for her team is Los Fresnos’ Delgado, who was the All-Metro newcomer of the year in 2015 and now is the defensive player of the year as a sophomore libero.

This season Delgado recorded 732 digs with 712 service receptions. She also had 96 service points.

“Getting awards gives me a sense of happiness and it shows me that I’m working hard,” Delgado said. “I just think that every hit (that comes my way) is not impossible to pick up as long as I put my mind to it. I believe if I stay focused on the game that I can do a pretty good job.

“It’s a great honor to be part of this team and to be with girls who also try really hard to do well in the sport they love,” Delgado added. “Knowing that Coach Woods expects so much from us, it’s just really a great honor to be part of it. Coach Woods does get mad with us sometimes, but it’s because she wants the best from us and it makes us work harder every time.

“I’m motivated because I know I’ve still got two more years to play for this team and I know I can correct my mistakes and still do better and achieve more. I just thank everyone who is there supporting us when we play.”

Members of the All-Metro first team are Rivera’s Litzy Medina, Stephanie Garza and Kourtney Shears, Hanna’s Lauren Webb, Lopez’s Carla Lopez and Brownsville Veterans’ Paola Villarreal.

The All-Metro second-teamers are Los Fresnos’ Giselle Ibarra and Ashley Tumlinson, Hanna’s Ryan Wood, Port Isabel’s Simone Harry, Porter’s April Reyes and Lopez’s Anna Morales.

Los Fresnos’ Kingsbury takes top honor
All-Metro MVP Jackie Kingsbury is the perfect example of an all-around volleyball player.

The 5-foot-11 senior outside hitter for Los Fresnos can do it all — hit with power, record aces with her jump serves, dig the ball effectively from the back row and even be the setter if that’s what is required.

Actually, she’s pretty much been doing all those things throughout her high school career as a four-year starter and has helped the Lady Falcons capture district titles during each of the past four seasons, including the most recent one with a 14-0 record in District 32-6A.

At the net, Kingsbury has tremendous leaping ability and slams unstoppable kills into the opposing court. On the back row, she is just as productive with her digs. Regardless of her position on the court, Kingsbury excels. She has been recruited to play for UT-Rio Grande Valley at the NCAA Division I level.

Kingsbury is coming off a standout senior season in which she finished with 561 kills and 652 digs along with 204 service points.

“Jackie has always had talent, and she put it to good use for us this season,” said Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods, who is All-Metro co-coach of the year with Lisa Mares of Brownville Veterans Memorial. “Jackie took control and became our leader. The players looked up to her. Her sportsmanship is unparalleled. I think what made her so impressive on the court this season was she left it all out there. That’s what she needed to do (for us to be successful). It’s just incredible what she has done.

“Not only is her hitting impressive, but her serving as well,” Woods added. “Jackie has a beautiful jump serve. She can place the ball anywhere on the opposing court. She’s a great setter, too. I used her at the beginning of the season as our second setter.

“It’s unique to have a player that can hit with such power and elegance, but yet be a setter with beautiful hands and make such amazing jump serves. She can pass the ball as well. She’s just an amazing all-around player.”

Woods has coached the Lady Falcons for 33 seasons and only one of her players has ever topped 1,000 kills for her high school career. That player is Kingsbury.

“Our coach is a legend and it’s an honor to play for her and the program itself,” Kingsbury said. “It’s been great playing for Los Fresnos and I’m grateful for all four classes of teammates I’ve had.

“I’ve played with girls from McAllen and girls from other districts, and I know how hard they work,” she added. “To be considered an MVP in the same category as all the other girls out there, that’s quite an honor.”

Since first starting to play her chosen sport as a third-grader, Kingsbury has undertaken a journey in volleyball that now will continue beyond high school at UTRGV.

“When I was younger, I was that kid that did everything,” she said. “I played kickball, basketball and everything else until I went to a UT-Brownsville volleyball match and saw those girls hitting the ball down. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s interesting to me.’ My first (volleyball) camp was there at UTB. As I got older, I noticed that I was actually kind of good at it, so I’ve just kept practicing and trying to get better.”

Todd Lowery, the former UTB coach who is now at UTRGV, will be Kingsbury’s coach next fall. They’ve known each other quite some time. Kingsbury is eager to play for the Vaqueros.

“Coach Todd is building the (UTRGV) program back up to where it should be,” Kingsbury said. “I’m very grateful to get a chance to be a part of it.”

Woods is among those who believe Kingsbury will succeed at the college level.

“I’m excited to see how she does at UTRGV,” the Lady Falcons coach said. “I think she’ll be a good fit for them. She’s a positive person, and that’s what I like about her. Her parents (Willie and Marian Kingsbury) have done so much to keep her in tune with volleyball, and I think she’ll do well at the (NCAA) Division I level.”

Los Fresnos’ Woods, Brownsville Veterans’ Mares earn coaching honors
If ever there was a time to honor more than one coach on The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Volleyball Team, this is the year.

Choosing who deserved the coach of the year award between Lisa Mares of Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Becky Woods of Los Fresnos was practically an impossible task considering each coach’s team won a district with a 14-0 record and each squad wound up advancing two rounds in the state playoffs — Woods in District 32-6A and Mares in District 32-5A.
So why not let them share the award?

“That’s fair, and that’s the way it should be,” said Woods when informed there would be co-coaches of the year on the 2016 All-Metro Volleyball Team.

Woods just completed her 33rd season coaching the Lady Falcons and Mares has coached the Lady Chargers since 2010.
The two women are different yet alike in that both take a disciplined approach to coaching while having a heart for their players.

“Coach Mares has a lot of experience taking teams to playoffs and I think that helps us,” said Brownsville Veterans middle blocker Bridget Himes, the All-Metro offensive player of the year. “Coach Mares pushes us and we learn a lot. She’s very disciplined and it works. She puts scenarios out there and it happens in the match. That’s what helps us stay strong during each game.”

Mares was All-Metro coach of the year last season.

“Again, it’s a humbling experience and a blessing,” said Mares, who missed the playoffs because her third son was born Oct. 28. “I was pregnant pretty much the whole season, so I’m thankful for being at this school and having the assistant coaches that I have. They really stepped up and helped out a lot. I owe a lot to the girls, too, because they worked hard since the

summer.
“Our future looks bright because of the coaches and players we have in the program,” Mares added. “All four of our (varsity and sub-varsity) teams won district this year. It’s the first time that’s ever happened. It was exciting to see us win district at every level.”

Mares said volleyball officials this season asked her, “What? You’re pregnant again?”

“I told them, ‘Not every season, just every other season,’” the coach said.

Mares and her husband Abel now have three sons — Roger, 4, Abel Jr., 2, and Jaziel, 1 month.

Meanwhile, Woods has set the standard as a coach in the Rio Grande Valley. Last season she surpassed the 600-win plateau as Los Fresnos’ volleyball coach and was inducted into the RGV Sports Hall of Fame in June.

Now she’s adding another coach of the year award to her ample list of credentials.

“It’s just an awesome feeling to be honored,” said Woods, whose Lady Falcons have won four straight district titles and lost only two conference matches in four seasons. “I credit my entire coaching staff, my players and the fans at this school, who are just ridiculously amazing. I would never be in this position and receiving these types of awards without the help I’ve gotten from my coaches and players all the way to middle school. It’s a total effort, and the club coaches (for our girls) are great, too. The (school) administration has always been supportive.

“Our girls are amazing,” Woods added. “They bring in the community support. It’s unreal. I love playing our home matches.”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

The Brownsville Herald’s 2016 All-Metro Volleyball Team
MVP — Jackie Kingsbury, Los Fresnos
Offensive Player of the Year — Bridget Himes, Brownsville Veterans
Defensive Player of the Year — Isis Delgado, Los Fresnos
Libero of the Year — Ebony Casanova, Pace
Setter of the Year — Cassandra Valdez, Brownsville Veterans
Newcomer of the Year — Halle Penrod, Hanna
Co-Coaches of the Year — Becky Woods, Los Fresnos; Lisa Mares, Brownsville Veterans
First Team
Paola Villarreal, Brownsville Veterans
Lauren Webb, Hanna
Stephanie Garza, Rivera
Litzy Medina, Rivera
Kourtney Shears, Rivera
Carla Lopez, Lopez
Second Team
Ryan Wood, Hanna
Ashley Tumlinson, Los Fresnos
Giselle Ibarra, Los Fresnos
Anna Morales, Lopez
April Reyes, Porter
Simone Harry, Port Isabel

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

By starting their soccer season this weekend, the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds are getting a jump on everyone else.

The soccer season for TAPPS schools such as SJA annually begins about a month before the public schools that play according to UIL rules.

The Bloodhounds open their new season today by playing in the Houston St. Thomas Tournament. They are scheduled to play at 8 p.m. and then have their second match at 11 a.m. Saturday. From there, their tournament schedule will depend upon if they win or lose.

SJA returns a majority of its starters from last season’s squad that went 18-6-1 and reached the TAPPS state semifinals for the second straight year.

Juan de Dios Garcia has taken over for Tino Villarreal as the Bloodhounds’ coach. Villarreal stepped aside as soccer coach because he is now the school’s athletic director and football coach.

Garcia coached the boys team at Hanna for 30 years before stepping down following the 2012 season.

“I like what I see,” Garcia said of the Bloodhounds. “These guys are impressing me. They’re improving every day and they’re punctual (to practice). They have a lot of enthusiasm and they’re ready to make history for their school (by winning a TAPPS state title). They’ve come so close before, and they want to bring that big star (state championship) to Brownsville.
“I’m pushing them to aim for the stars and realize their dream,” Garcia added. “I’m motivated and enthused (to return to high school coaching). It’s like I’ve been reborn.”

Garcia said the squad just added some players from the football team.

“We’re going to see some very competitive teams in Houston,” the SJA coach said. “Both of our goalkeepers are injured, and that’s the biggest problem we’re facing right now.”

The Bloodhounds are scheduled to play their home opener against Marine Military Academy of Harlingen at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Canales Field.

In mid-January, SJA is again scheduled to play in the annual Brownsville ISD Tournament.

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Defeating Class 6A opponents in boys basketball is getting to be a healthy habit for the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds.

The Bloodhounds surged ahead to lead by double digits in the second quarter and never looked back en route to a 55-39 victory at home Tuesday against Mission High.

It was the third time this season the Bloodhounds (7-4) have won against a 6A foe. They previously beat Harlingen High and Weslaco East.

“It was great,” said Carlos Esteve, a junior shooting guard. “Here at St. Joe we’ve always believed that we could compete against 6A teams, and that’s what we love to do. We love to have big games here (against teams from the higher classifications). Those are the ones we really try hard to win.”

Added teammate Jorge Villarreal, a senior point guard, “It’s all about preparation. Since the beginning of the season we have been working very hard as a team. We focus more on defense so the offense comes by itself.

“It feels great to win a game like this, and especially (to do it) with the group of guys I have playing with me,” Villarreal added. “They’re my friends (in addition to being teammates), and I share a lot of great moments with them in and out of school.”

Villarreal and Esteve led the Bloodhounds with 20 and 15 points, respectively, against the Eagles of District 30-6A. Esteve hit three 3-pointers and Villarreal had two. Teammate Cesar Garcia added eight points.

The leading scorers for Mission High were Juan Escobedo with 10 points and Oscar de la Garza with nine.

SJA led 13-9 by the end of the first quarter and was up 29-14 at halftime after outscoring the Eagles 16-5 during the second period. The Bloodhoounds took a 42-29 advantage into the final quarter and went on to win by 16 points, 55-39.

“We’re trying to get ready for our (TAPPS) district,” SJA coach Samuel Lucio said. “We’re in a tough district, so we try to play all the 6A and 5A teams we can.

“We had some good moments tonight, but we still have a lot of work to do,” he added. “We got a little sloppy (with our play) at the end.”

The biggest lead of the night for the Bloodhounds was 23 points twice on back-to-back possessions during the third quarter.

SJA’s Pete Silvero scored on a drive at the 4:11 mark of the third period to make it 40-17 before teammate Rodolfo Cabido put a spin move on a defender and made a short jumper in the lane for a 42-19 advantage for SJA with 3:33 showing.

The closest the Eagles came to SJA’s lead was 12 points, 51-39, with 2:43 remaining when Mauricio Ramiro drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

“We just got our football players back, so we’re trying to get them into the rhythm of basketball,” Lucio said. “It’s going to take a little time, but we’ve got a month before our first district game, so we just have to keep working hard. We don’t have any more games this week, so we’re just going to get back to working on our fundamentals in practice. We’re lacking a little bit in the fundamentals right now, like just protecting the ball, moving the ball around and taking better shots. It’s some things that we’ve just got to work on.”

The next game for the Bloodhounds will be at Edinburg IDEA Quest on Tuesday.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Since Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Harlingen High are in different districts for girls basketball this season, Tuesday figured to be the last time the Lady Chargers’ seniors would face the Lady Cardinals.

Brownsville Veterans coach Valentin Paz reminded his squad of that prior to the non-district game on the Lady Chargers’ home court.

If the Lady Chargers were going to have any chance at redemption after going 0-5 against Harlingen High over the past two-plus seasons, Tuesday was pretty much their best and only remaining chance to do it.

The Lady Chargers responded with a come-from-behind 48-41 win.

Brownsville Veterans (9-3) trailed by as many as 11 points three times in the opening quarter, including 11-0 to start off, before coming alive and turning up its defensive pressure to capture the seven-point victory over the Lady Cardinals (9-4).

“I’m very happy for our seniors (that we snapped this 0-5 losing streak against the Lady Cardinals),” said Paz, whose team next plays host to Edinburg Vela at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in another non-district matchup. “We told the seniors it was the last time they’d have this opportunity, and our girls came out and played big in the second half. It was all about playing good defense (and forcing turnovers off the press).

“Harlingen High’s girls came ready to play hard and battle us,” Paz added. “Even though it was a home game for us, it was a hostile environment because their fans travel so well. I congratulate Harlingen High and coach (Ashley) Moncivaiz. They’re a top program and it’s an honor to play them. They’re what we aspire to be.”

Even though Brownsville Veterans trailed 18-7 after one quarter, the Lady Chargers outscored the visitors 18-7 in the second period to create a 25-25 tie at intermission. Brownsville Veterans took a 37-32 lead into the final quarter and outpointed Harlingen 11-9 over the last eight minutes to secure the win.

The Lady Chargers, now in District 32-5A, had gone 0-4 against the Lady Cardinals in district over the last two seasons and were coming off a 58-36 loss to Harlingen High two weeks ago in the semifinals of the Weslaco Tournament.

Lizzy Garza, Hannah Meyers and Jordan Rudd led Brownsville Veterans with 13, 12 and 12 points, respectively. Ares Muzquiz added six points on a pair of 3-pointers.

Destiny Olivares and Blanca Rodriguez led the Lady Cardinals of District 32-6A with 11 and nine points, respectively.

Olivares hit two 3-pointers and Rodriguez made one 3-pointer. Also for the Lady Cardinals, Taegan Dickey and Alyssa Cervantes each scored seven points with a 3-pointer each.

“I just saw that our girls got outhustled at the end due to the calls (that went against us),” said Moncivaiz, whose ballclub next plays at home against McAllen High at 1:30 a.m. Saturday. “This was a game that definitely helps us get prepared for our district season. It also gives us a chance to see what we need to work on, so yes, it was a good game for us.”

Brownsville Veterans took it first lead, 19-18, at the 4:55 mark of the second period when Muzquiz drained her second 3-pointer from the top of the key.

The contest was tied at 27 and then at 29 before the LadyChargers began to pull away and led by eight points, 37-29, when Rudd made the second of two free throws with 5.5 seconds left in the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Harlingen High’s Dickey at the buzzer to end the third period pulled the Lady Cardinals to within 37-32.

Andrea Cortez made a jump shot to bring the Lady Cardinals to within two points, 40-38, with 4:25 to go, but the Lady Chargers soon increased the lead to eight points again, 46-38, when Garza drove the lane and scored with 2:37 to play.

Harlingen High then was forced to foul in the waning minutes and Rudd’s two free throws with 31 seconds remaining accounted for the final score of 48-41.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Fermin Lucio’s home debut as Hanna’s new boys basketball coach was quite a successful one.

The Golden Eagles opened the 71st annual Brownsville ISD Tournament with a decisive 88-23 victory on their home court Thursday against a reserve team of Rivera players who were mostly sophomores and freshmen.

The combination of Hanna’s up-tempo offense, quick ball movement and accurate long-range shooting was just too much for the Raiders, who briefly led 2-0 before quickly falling behind to trail 23-4 after one quarter, 43-12 at halftime and 65-14 after three periods.

“This feels very good,” Lucio said of his initial triumph as Hanna’s coach. “It feels a whole lot better than the taste we had in our mouths Tuesday (after we lost our season opener 66-63 at Edinburg Economedes).

“It was a good victory,” Lucio added. “I think our boys came out ready to play. I think the hoop’s a little bigger when you’re on your home court. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going and string together some wins in the BISD Tournament and carry things to where the championship games are in district, which is where it really matters.”

In other BISD Tournament openers Thursday, Rivera’s first-string squad defeated Sharyland High 60-53, Brownsville Veterans Memorial topped Brownsville First Baptist 91-34, Pace beat Rio Grande City 51-38, St. Joseph Academy edged Porter 57-53 in overtime, Harlingen High prevailed over Lopez 50-47 and Valley View downed Houston Awty 52-47.

Tournament play resumes at 10 a.m. Friday at the Hanna and Rivera gyms. The championship bracket quarterfinals begin at the same locations at 4 p.m. Friday. The championship game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Rivera.

Brownsville Veterans defeated Harlingen High 66-60 in last year’s BISD final.

In Thursday, Hanna made 15 3-points against the Raiders.

Four Eagles scored in double figures. They were Jaime Rucoba (17 points, two 3-pointers), Cesar Reyna (13 points, three 3-pointers), Rick Rocha (11 points, three 3-pointers) and Adam Lopez (10 points, two 3-pointers). Reyna scored all 13 of his points in the final quarter and hit three straight 3-pointers in the process.

Leo Reyes led Rivera with seven points, including one 3-pointer.

Hanna’s largest lead of 65 points, 88-23, came when Austin Jimenez drained a 3-pointer from the right corner with 38.2 seconds remaining.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Rivera Raiders and Porter Cowboys opened the basketball season with a closely contested, down-to-the-wire thriller Tuesday at the Porter gym.

The Raiders did enough to pull out a 41-39 victory.

“First game for us, first game for them, and it was a good start,” Rivera coach Saul Villarreal said. “This is the way we wanted to start on a good note with a win. It was a very good game, very competitive. Coach (Luis) Garza has a good ballclub there at Porter, so beating them is a pretty good win for us.”

Garza said Rivera did more things right in the second half than Porter to earn the victory.

“I give my props to Rivera and Coach Villarreal,” Garza said. “I think they had a good scheme in the second half. They came out in a zone (defense) and caught us a little bit off-guard. We needed to have some people step up today and they didn’t.”

Rivera led 12-11 after one quarter before Porter rallied to go ahead 18-17 at intermission. The Raiders went into the final quarter with a 29-23 advantage, which was the largest lead for either team.

Oscar Lozoya and Martin Lopez each had 10 points to lead the Raiders. Teammate Nico Blanco added nine points.
Rey Martinez and Joel Gracia led Porter with eight points apiece. Luis Garza added seven.

A jump shot from the right side by Garza with barely a second left before intermission gave Porter only its second lead of the first half, 18-17.

Rivera took its biggest lead of six points twice during the third period. The first time came at 27-21 when Blanco sank a pair of free throws for the Raiders at the 1:40 mark of the quarter. The second time was a 29-23 advantage with four seconds to go in the third as Rivera’s Lozoya scored on a drive.

Porter battled back and led 33-32 on a three-point shot by Garza with 4:24 left to play. A pair of free throws by Gracia with 3:34 to go gave the Cowboys a one-point lead again at 35-34.

It was tied at 35 before Martin Lopez put Rivera up for good at 37-35 with 1:59 remaining by grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring from close range.

A 3-pointer by Porter’s Jerry Martinez with three seconds left pulled the Cowboys to within 40-39. Porter was forced to foul and Blanco made the first of two free throws for Rivera with just 1.1 seconds showing to account for the final score of 41-39.

The Cowboys and Raiders next play in the annual Brownsville ISD Tournament, which starts Thursday and runs through Saturday. Rivera is the host this year.

In the opening game of Tuesday’s doubleheader at Porter, the Mission High girls rallied to defeat the Cowgirls 34-28 in another season opener.