BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

Coach Rolando Garza has been coaching at San Isidro since 1992.

In his 27th year, the San Isidro native has what he described as a “Top 5” team of all time at San Isidro.

Led by the Valley’s third-leading scorer Genardo Elizondo and a group of six seniors who have been playing together for years, the Tigers are off to an impressive start on the district season.

On Tuesday, San Isidro beat Lasara 81-49, giving Garza his 600th win.

“At halftime we had an 8 point lead,” Garza said. “After the half, we made some adjustments, started playing our game and got into a rhythm. We had a good second half to close out the game.”

Garza was honored to cross the 600 mark, but he wanted to give the credit to his guys.

“Thank you to all of my former players, and to the people who have supported us,” Garza said.

San Isidro is currently ranked 14th in Class 2A, according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

The Tigers’ ranking is up, now that San Isidro is 4-0 through the first half of District 32-2A play. That includes a huge win over rival San Perlita.

“That has been a rivalry game since I was in school,” Garza said. “Credit to our guys, they found a way to dig deep and pull that one out at the end. San Perlita has more depth than we do, and I was worried the pace would have our guys too tired at the end. We work hard to stay conditioned, and we got it done.”

Coming into the game, San Perlita was ranked 12, and San Isidro was ranked 23. The Tigers prevailed, 78-72.

Coach Garza has been to the Sweet Sixteen three times with San Isidro. The feeling around the school and the community is that this could be the fourth.

“If our guys play our game, and play defense the way I know we can, I think we will be ok,” Garza said. “But it’s hard to say anything, because we are in such a tough district. We just take it game-by-game and try to get better as we go.”

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday. Jan. 22

District 30-6A

McAllen Rowe 45, McAllen High 29

Mission High 61, McAllen Memorial 39

PSJA North 85, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 28

PSJA High 30, La Joya High 28

District 31-6A

Edinbrug Vela 53, Weslaco High 52

Edinburg North 50, Edinburg High 43, OT

Edinburg Economedes 70, Donna North 39

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos 45, Harlingen South 43

Harlingen High 64, San Benito 48

Brownsville Rivera at Brownsville Hanna, not reported

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer 69, Sharyland High 54

Rio Grande City 64, Roma 43

PSJA Southwest 43, PSJA Memorial 37

Mission Veterans at La Joya Palmview, not reported

District 32-5A

Brownsville Pace 53, Brownsville Lopez 43

Mercedes 71, Brownsville Veterans 51

Edcouch-Elsa 47, Donna High 39

Brownsville Porter 56, Valley View 35

District 32-4A

Port Isabel 59, Raymondville 56

Hidalgo 62, Rio Hondo 49

Zapata 58, Grulla 46

Progreso at La Feria, not reported

District 32-3A

Santa Rosa 147, Weslaco IDEA Pike 47

District 32-2A

San Perlita 75, Santa Maria 48

San Isidro 81, Lasara 49

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORE

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN ROWE 45, McALLEN HIGH 29

McAllen High 8 2 11 8 — 29

McAllen Rowe 12 8 8 17 — 45

McALLEN ROWE (45): Mark Medrano 4, Adrian Salinas 2, Louie Yebra 14, Josiah Alonso 1, Jon Elizondo 3, Darrin everage 14, John Galan 7.

McALLEN HIGH (29): Dylan Suarez 2, Matthew Ibarra 4, Quinn Canada 2, Jackson Helmcamp 6, Malachi Dames 2, Bryan Argil 9, Jaden Conrow 4.

MISSION HIGH 61, McALLEN MEMORIAL 39

Mission High 13 9 25 4 — 61

McAllen Mem 9 15 10 5 — 39

MISSION HIGH (61): Eddie Rivero 18, Andrew Maldonado 3, Tito Moronta 8, Deandre Sifuentes 8, Jeremy Duran 3, Rey Garcia 8, Jahel Salinas 11, Louie Garcia 10.

McALLEN MEMORIAL (39): Hugo Bazan 1, Javi Mendoza 4, RJ Roth 13, Christian Espinoza 9, Kobe Gushwa 4, Miguel Fuentes 6, Colin Baus 2.

PSJA NORTH 85, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 28

PSJA North 26 36 13 10 — 85

LJ Juarez-Lincoln 0 5 13 10 — 28

PSJA NORTH (85): Matthew Cantu 6, Arturo Beltran 6, Elijah De La Garza 18, Daunte Galvan 25, Ricky Garcia 7, Timur Lamb 4, Iziaah Rangel 15, Felipe Hernandez 1.

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (28): Kenneth Gonzalez 11, Josh Briones 4, Mikey Garcia 2, Luis Garza 3, Luis Flores 2, Adan Torres 6.

RECORDS: PSJA North 23-8, 7-1.

District 31-6A

EDINBURG NORTH 50, EDINBURG HIGH 43, OT

Edinburg North 14 10 7 12 7 — 50

Edinburg High 5 16 10 12 0 — 43

EDINBURG NORTH (50): David Gutierrez 2, Noah Chavana 4, Andrew Nunes 13, Ethan Garcia 1, Sergio Quintanilla 21, Juan Vasquez 4, Juan Garza 5.

EDINBURG HIGH (43): Marc Figueroa 13, John Carranco 6, Jorge Hernandez 3, Antoine Woodard 4, Jerry Lopez 10, Ricky Alaniz 7.

RECORDS: Edinburg North 3-4; Edinburg High 3-4.

EDINBURG VELA 53, WESLACO HIGH 52

Weslaco High 19 11 12 10 — 52

Edinburg Vela 11 6 22 14 — 53

EDINBURG VELA (53): Noah Sekinger 15, Nate Gomez 17, Kaleb Coronado 4, Bobby Espericueta 16, Josh Diaz 1.

WESLACO HIGH (52): Caleb Ybarra 7, Safi Fino-A-Laself 24, Rollie Berrones 2, Joshua Rodriguez 2, JJ Balderas 6, Isaiah Garcia 11.

RECORDS: Edinburg Vela 21-9, 6-1; Weslaco High 22-7, 5-2.

District 31-5A

SHARYLAND PIONEER 69, SHARYLAND HIGH 54

Shary Pioneer 17 19 17 16 — 69

Shary High 9 11 13 21 — 54

SHAYRLAND PIONEER (69): Ethan Lee 5, Taggart Chandler 10, Darik Briseno 2, Miguel Angel Gonzalez 10, Aaron Cuevas 9, Luke Padilla 15, Miguel Ramos 2, Lavar Lindo 16.

SHARYLAND HIGH (54): Naizer Moore 16, Johnny Escamilla 18, Mauro Fernandez 3, Isai Heredia 4, Andres Abrego 4, Alex Alvarez 4, Andres Rubio 5.

RIO GRANDE CITY 64, ROMA 43

Roma 11 17 8 7 — 43

Rio Grande City 24 18 6 16 — 64

RIO GRANDE CITY (64): Aaron Marroquin 18, Jaime Covarrubias 18, Deaven Diaz 2, Raudel Solis 5, Michael Thomas 2, Dennis Trevino 5, Rudy Bazan 6, Josh Garcia 8.

ROMA (43): Gerardo Cortez 6, Christian Garza 3, Abraham Gonzalez 4, Miguel Olivarez 8, Edward Garza 6, Carlos Rios 3, Juan Gutierrez 10, Jacob Becera 3.

RECORD: Rio Grande City 19-10, 7-1.

District 32-5A

EDCOUCH-ELSA 47, DONNA HIGH 39

Donna High 5 12 7 15 — 39

Edcouch-Elsa 10 15 8 14 — 47

EDCOUCH-ELSA (47): Marcos Escobar 14, Christian Lira 4, Aaron Aguinaga 8, Bryan Guerra 5, Nico Ybarra 12, Lupe Balderas 4.

DONNA HIGH (39): Derik Medrano 11, Eddy Epperson 10, Trey Rodriguez 5, Eric Garza 6, Avery Bowen 4, Brandon Chavez 3

RECORD: Edcouch-Elsa 22-11, 6-2.

BROWNSVILLE PACE 53, BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ 43

Bville Pace 20 5 13 15 — 53

Bville Lopez 7 13 4 18 — 42

BROWNSVILLE PACE (53): Cristian Guajardo 14, Jose Lozoya 10, Baltazar Hinojosa 7, AJ Anzaldua 5, Alex Agado 4, Emilio Padron 4, Abraham Rincon 4, Elias Fortaneli 3, Rafael Recio 2.

BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ (42): Hiram Matoviche 18, Damian Zuniga 10, Jose Sanchez 8, JJ Briones 6.

RECORDS: Brownsville Pace 6-2; Brownsville Lopez 2-6.

District 32-4A

HIDALGO 62, RIO HONDO 49

Rio Hondo 9 10 11 19 — 49

Hidalgo 10 12 20 20 — 62

HIDALGO (62): Andy Flores 12, Alexis Gonzalez 10, Angel Gonzalez 1, Gus Sanchez 22, Luis Toledano 2, Moises Longoria 12, Saul Arjona 6.

RIO HONDO (49): Zeke Rios 9, Jonathan Ayala 6, CJ Leal 3, Isaac Jaramillo 3, Ivan Juarez 2, Daniel Garcia 3, Jabez Villarreal 23.

RECORDS: Brownsville Pace 6-2; Brownsville Lopez 2-6.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — With Josh Diaz sidelined with injury, senior guard Nate Gomez stepped up to the challenge and led the Edinburg Vela SaberCats to a comeback win on Tuesday night at Edinburg Vela.

Vela (6-1) beat Weslaco High (5-2), 53-52, in a pivotal District 31-6A contest to start the second half of district.

“It was like a playoff atmosphere,” junior guard Kaleb Coronado said. “The fans got into it on both sides. You just have to cherish these moments, because they don’t last long for everyone. To be in a playoff-like atmosphere tonight was great. (It was a) great team win.”

It wasn’t just Gomez leading Vela, but his emotion and energy was what it took to get Vela back into the game, after Weslaco High led by 8 after the first, and led by as many as 15 before halftime.

“That’s what is so great about this team,” Vela coach Lucio Rodriguez said. “They are selfless and everybody steps up when their name is called. … Tonight was Nate’s night. He accepted the challenge, and this is a great win for us.”

Gomez had 17 points on the evening, but none were bigger than his first three of the second half. Gomez opened the third quarter scoring by dropping a 3-pointer, Vela’s first of the game.

“We just need one,” Coronado said. “All we need is to see one shot go through, and we are right back in it.”

That was especially important for junior guard Bobby Espericueta. While playing tough defense on Weslaco star Safi Fino-A-Laself, who finished the night with 24 points, Espericueta was held scoreless in the first half. After Gomez’s make to start the third, Espericueta fed off of his energy and got himself going. Espericueta hit a 3 in the third, before hitting two more in the fourth.

“When he is hot, he doesn’t miss,” Gomez said of Espericueta. “That is a big thing in our group, we feed off of each other.”

Senior center Noah Sekinger started the game hot, scoring eight first-quarter points to go with six rebounds. Weslaco brought in junior Rollie Berrones, who slowed Sekinger down, and kept him off the score sheet.

But, even when Sekinger isn’t scoring every point, his presence always has an impact on the game.

“(Espericueta) was definitely the difference down the stretch,” Rodriguez said. “But, he doesn’t get those shots if Noah doesn’t get the attention he does in the paint.”

As Coronado so aptly described, this was a team win for Vela.

“We were down 13, and it was a big team effort,” junior wing Austin Garza said. “At halftime, coach gave us a big motivational speech. We knew we had to get this one done, if we want to win district. So, we pushed each other, and we just got back in it. We made some plays, got some momentum, and then went on a run.”

Vela outscored Weslaco 22-12 in the third quarter, and then 14-10 in the fourth.

The finish was dramatic, as Vela didn’t even recapture the lead until there was 1:36 left in the game. Espericueta hit a pull-up 3-pointer with a defender right on him to put Vela up 51-50.

“When you see him get going, it is tough to guard,” Coronado said. “A hand in the face isn’t even enough sometimes.”

Fino-A-Laself responded with a basket with just less than 40 seconds left. Vela didn’t call a timeout, instead pushing the ball.

Gomez ran a quick two-man game with Coronado, and Coronado gave him the ball back in the corner. The Weslaco defender came in to contest the 3, but Gomez skillfully stepped past the defender and sunk a baseline mid-range jumper to put Vela back up.

“All I heard was ‘double, double,’ because (Fino-A-Laself) is a great player,” Coronado said. “We didn’t want him to get to the lane, because he can finish through contact. So, we wanted to get the ball out of his hands. That is what happened and a missed shot.”

Sekinger had a great close out to contest Weslaco’s final shot, and it flew wide, giving the SaberCats the win.

Espericueta finished with 16 points. Sekinger had 15 points to go with 13 rebounds. Coronado had 4 for Vela.

The other two Weslaco guards were the leading scorers after Fino-A-Laself. Caleb Ybarra scored 7, including two big 3s to get Weslaco up big early. Isaiah Garcia finished with 11.

Vela has wanted revenge since Dec. 21 when Weslaco beat Vela in the first round of district.

“It feels good for the kids,” Rodriguez said. “They worked hard all week. They wanted this, from when they beat us last time. That is a very well-coached team. Coach Valdez does a great job over there. They are a tough ball club. Our guys just came out and played hard in the second half.”

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Friday, Jan. 18

District 30-6A

McAllen Rowe 68, McAllen Memorial 43

Mission High 73, La Joya High 35

PSJA North 60, McAllen High 59, OT

PSJA High 102, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 36

District 31-6A

Edinburg Economedes 64, Edinburg Vela 35

Edinburg High at Weslaco East, not reported

Donna North at Edinburg North, not reported

District 32-6A

Brownsville Hanna 36, Harlingen South 25

Los Fresnos 66, San Benito 23

Harlingen High 74, Brownsville Rivera 53

District 31-5A

Rio Grande City 68, PSJA Memorial 39

Sharyland Pioneer 69, La Joya Palmview 42

Mission Veterans 59, PSJA Southwest 51

Sharyland High 56, Roma 53

District 32-5A

Mercedes 66, Brownsville Porter 48

Brownsville Veterans 60, Donna High 40

Edcouch-Elsa 42, Brownsville Pace 41

Brownsville Lopez 61, Valley View 55

District 32-4A

Port Isabel 52, Progreso 45

Hidalgo 76, Grulla 49

Zapata 65, Raymondville 54

Rio Hondo at La Feria, not reported

District 32-3A

Santa Rosa 118, Edinburg IDEA Quest 54

District 32-2A

San Isidro 53, Santa Maria 50

San Perlita 113, La Villa 19

Tuesday. Jan. 22

District 30-6A

PSJA High at La Joya High, 7:30 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at PSJA North, 7:30 p.m.

McAllen High at McAllen Rowe, 7:30 p.m.

Mission High at McAllen Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg North at Edinburg High, 7:30 p.m.

Edinburg Economedes at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.

Weslaco High at Edinbrug Vela, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-6A

Brownsville Rivera at Brownsville Hanna, 7:30 p.m.

Harlingen South at Los Fresnos, 7:30 p.m.

San Benito at Harlingen High, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Mission Veterans at La Joya Palmview, 7:30 p.m.

Roma at Rio Grande City, 7:30 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Sharyland High, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at PSJA Southwest, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-5A

Brownsville Pace at Brownsville Lopez, 7:30 p.m.

Mercedes at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

Valley View at Brownsville Porter, 7:30 p.m.

Donna High at Edcouch-Elsa, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-4A

Grulla at Zapata, 8 p.m.

Port Isabel at Raymondville, 8 p.m.

Rio Hondo at Hidalgo, 8 p.m.

Progreso at La Feria, 6:30 p.m.

District 32-3A

Santa Rosa at Weslaco IDEA Pike, 7 p.m.

Monte Alto at Lyford, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-2A

Santa Maria at San Perlita, 7:30 p.m.

Lasara at San Isidro, 7:30 p.m.

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORE

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN ROWE 68, McALLEN MEMORIAL 43

McAllen Mem. 7 14 14 8 — 43

McAllen Rowe 12 21 15 20 — 68

McALLEN ROWE (68): Mark Medrano 5, Adrian Salinas 6, Louie Yebra 24, Josiah Alonso 4, Jon Elizondo 3, Tristen Mata 4, Alejandro Garcia 3, Patrick Tarbutton 2, Darrin Everage 4, John Galan 11.

McALLEN MEMORIAL (43): Caleb Eberle 1, Javi Mendoza 4, RJ Roth 2, Christian Espinoza 19, Kobe Gushwa 2, Miguel Fuentes 15.

RECORD: McAllen Rowe 20-6, 7-0.

PSJA NORTH 60, McALLEN HIGH 59, OT

McAllen High 19 9 16 11 4 — 59

PSJA North 8 21 7 11 5 — 60

PSJA NORTH (60): Matthew Cantu 9, Arturo Beltran 16, Elijah De La Garza 10, Daunte Galvan 8, Iziaah Rangel 15.

McALLEN HIGH (59): Dylan Suarez 3, Matthew Ibarra 17, Jackson Helmcamp 6, Bryan Argil 18, Jaden Conrow 14.

RECORD: PSJA North 22-8, 6-1.

MISSION HIGH 73, LA JOYA HIGH 35

La Joya High 11 12 6 6 — 35

Mission High 23 15 26 9 — 73

MISSION HIGH (73): Eddie Rivero 14, Andrew Maldonado 3, Tito Moronta 7, Deandre Sifuentes 14, Omar Cantu 2, Andy Martinez 2, Martin Vasquez 6, Jahel Salinas 12, Louie Garcia 13.

LA JOYA HIGH (35): Jesus Huerta 2, Cesar Villarreal 7, Juan Trujillo 10, Santiago Rodriguez 9, Michael Reyna 5, Zeke Garcia 2.

PSJA HIGH 102, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 36

PSJA HIGH (102): Chris Gonzalez 12, Nick Ruiz 14, Andrew Casas 16, Ethan Castillo 2, Victor Rangel 4, Jesus Salinas 4, Chuy Ramos 6, Juan Rodriguez 4, Michael Villarreal 30, Rick Salazar 6.

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (36): Kenneth Gonzalez 11, Cruz Gonzalez 4, Josh Briones 10, Robert Villasana 2, Adan Torres 2, Luis Flores 6, Juan Lemus 1.

District 31-6A

EDINBURG VELA 64, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 35

Edinburg Vela 15 11 13 24 — 64

Edinburg Econ. 9 7 11 8 — 35

EDINBURG VELA (64): Noah Sekinger 20, JD Velasquez 3, Nate Gomez 5, Austin Garza 6, Kaleb Coronado 7, Bobby Espericueta 11, Josh Diaz 8, Kobe Gipson 4.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (35): Trini Moreno 6, Angel Salinas 9, Michael Barrientos 7, Johnathan Barrientos 9, Saul Alaniz 2, Ricardo Chapa 2.

RECORDS: Edinburg Vela 5-1; Edinburg Economedes 5-1.

District 31-5A

RIO GRANDE CITY 68, PSJA MEMORIAL 39

Rio Grande City 17 13 17 21 — 68

PSJA Memorial 7 5 15 12 — 39

RIO GRANDE CITY (68): Aaron Marroquin 17, Jaime Covarrubias 24, Deaven Diaz 3, Michael Thomas 4, Joel Barrera 3, Bryan Jones 2, Dennis Trevino 3, Rudy Bazan 2, Adrian Gonzalez 2, Josh Garcia 8.

PSJA MEMORIAL (39): Horacio Cisneros 5, Brandon Garcia 5, Nick Cisneros 9, Jessie Montes 3, Michael Munoz 4, John Martinez 6, Oscar Marquina 2, Orly Munoz 5.

SHARYLAND PIONEER 69, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 42

LJ Palmview 12 8 10 12 — 42

Shary Pioneer 15 16 21 17 — 69

SHAYRLAND PIONEER (69): Lavar Lindo 16, Miguel Ramos 10, Luke Padilla 15, Miguel Angel Gonzalez 9, Aaron Cuevas 8, Taggart Chandler 6, Darik Briseno 3, Diego Perez 2.

LA JOYA PALMVIEW (42): Carlos Montelongo 13, Edgar Leos 7, Homer Castillo 6, Irvin Gamez 4, Freddy Flores 4, Joshua Raya 3, Gabe Garza 3, Fabian Flores 2.

RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer 7-0; La Joya Palmview 2-5.

MISSION VETERANS 59, PSJA SOUTHWEST 51

PSJA Southwest 15 12 15 9 — 51

Mission Veterans 11 12 20 16 — 59

MISSION VETERANS (59): Noe Cantu 19, Josue Muniz 10, AJ Gonzaque 10, Jacob Marquez 8, JT Lerma 8, Adrian Villarreal 4.

PSJA SOUTHWEST (51): Omar Jimenez 21, Dawrelle Robinson 15, Carlos Hernandez 7, JR Garcia 2, Juan Montes 6.

RECORD: Mission Veterans 12-14, 4-3.

District 32-5A

BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ 61, VALLEY VIEW 55

Valley View 22 9 11 13 — 55

Bro. Lopez 16 25 7 13 — 61

BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ (61): Hiram Matoviche 19, JJ Briones 17, Jose Sanchez 15, Angel Gonzalez 4, Angel Aguirre 5.

VALLEY VIEW (55): Kevan Diaz 16, Andres Sepulveda 7, Deion Ortegon 6, Isaac Lira 6, Alan Fuentes 5, Bryant Munoz 2, Miguel Flores 2.

RECORDS: Brownsville Lopez 2-5; Valley View 0-7.

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS 60, DONNA HIGH 40

Brownsville Vets 14 16 18 12 — 60

Donna High 10 8 4 18 — 40

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS (60): Kelly Davis 11, Justin Anaya 11, Damian Zuniga 10, Matt Maddos 7, Lucky Edge 2, Tommy Pena 6, Angel Escobar 2, Dax Delgado 5, Alex Villarreal 2, Sebastian Soto 4.

DONNA HIGH (40): Alex Sanchez 6, Roger Rodriguez 6, Eddy Epperson 6, Trey Rodriguez 3, Eric Garza 13, Avery Bowen 2, Brandon Chavez 4.

RECORDS: Brownsville Veterans 7-0; Donna High 1-6.

MERCEDES 66, BROWNSVILLE PORTER 48

Bro Porter 10 17 9 12 — 48

Mercedes 20 13 21 12 — 66

MERCEDES (66): Caleb Arthur 10, Alex Rincon 1, Jared Castaneda 13, Ramiro Ortiz 5, Jesse Fuentes 6, Jordan Ovalle 9, Brandon Lozoya 22.

BROWNSVILLE PORTER (48): Mundo Martinez 2, Kevin Garcia 2, Anthony Andrade 2, Chris Orozco 13, Danny Morales 1, Juan Contreras 3, Benji Eckesly 22, Rocco Almazan 2.

RECORD: Mercedes 21-7, 5-2

District 32-4A

HIDALGO 76, GRULLA 49

Grulla 10 11 13 15 — 49

Hidalgo 15 15 25 21 — 76

HIDALGO (76): Andy Flores 18, Gus Sanchez 11, Moises Longoria 23, Julio Zamorano 2, Saul Arjona 13, Adrian Gutierrez 7, Ray Martinez 2.

GRULLA (49): Ricky Slauenwhite 2, Chris Salinas 6, Jared Gomez 9, Dillon Salinas 18, Marcos Escutti 8, Mikey Gomez 1, Roly Montemayor 5.

RECORD: Hidalgo 7-0.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — From the opening tip, it was clear what Edinburg Vela wanted to do: get the ball to senior center Noah Sekinger, and play good defense.

Sekinger, the double-double machine, led the game with 20 points and had double-digit rebounds to lead the SaberCats to a crucial District 31-6A win over Edinburg Economedes, 64-35, on Friday night at Edinburg Economedes High School.

“We were really amped up, since last year we lost this one in a heartbreaker,” senior guard Josh Diaz said. “We wanted to come out and win this one.”

The result shakes up the landscape of 31-6A, as now Weslaco High, Econ and Vela are in a three-way tie for first place, with one loss each. By the way, next up for Vela is a Tuesday-night matchup with Weslaco High in Edinburg.

Sekinger was red hot to start the game, scoring 11 first-half points to lead Vela to a 26-16 lead at the half.

Two big moments gave Vela the confidence it needed to take over.

The first came at the first-quarter buzzer, when junior guard Bobby Espericueta hit a runner from beyond mid-court to end the period.

“Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good,” Vela coach Lucio Rodriguez said. “That was the case right there.”

While even Espericueta admitted there is some luck to it, his shot is pure, and it’s hard to believe he’s ever going to miss. While he doesn’t practice that specific shot during team practices, he does like to send a heave every now and then, when he is shooting around.

“Sometimes I just run up and launch it,” Espericueta said. “It looked good, but I just saw two seconds, so I let it fly, and sure enough it went in. … (when he returned to the bench) it was just a lot of hype, everyone was jumping on me.”

The second moment came just a little while later. With just more than three minutes left in the half, Sekinger rose up and dropped a thunderous two-handed dunk to put Vela up 11.

“Several guys from the student body have been asking for an in-game dunk, so I guess he did them a favor today,” Rodriguez said. “It was nice for him, because he works so hard. Like you said, a momentum changer. It helped us.”

Economedes could never find a rhythm on offense, largely due to Vela’s defense. A point of emphasis for Vela was to prevent open 3-pointers; don’t let the Jags get hot.

Econ only hit three 3’s in the game. One each in the first, second and fourth quarters.

When forced to drive on Vela, every attacker knows he will be running into Sekinger in the paint.

“I knew they weren’t going to have an answer for him,” Diaz said. “I truly believe he is the best big man in the Valley.”

Diaz wanted to make a statement with the win Friday, and he did, by locking down Econ senior guard Angel Salinas. Salinas was limited to nine points on Friday.

“This win means we are coming,” Diaz said. “You all are about to see the best of us.”

“It means we have to keep getting better, keep believing in the system that Lucio brings us,” Espericueta said. “If we keep believing in each other, we can go out there and win a district title.”

[email protected]

RGVSPORTS.COM TOP 10

Team Record Prev.

1. McAllen Rowe 19-6 2

2. Edinburg Economedes 11-5 4

3. Weslaco High 22-6 1

4. Edinburg Vela 19-9 5

5. PSJA North 21-8 6

6. Los Fresnos 18-7 NR

7. Brownsville Veterans 14-6 7

8. Harlingen High 16-11 3

9. Hidalgo 20-6 9

10. Santa Rosa 14-6 10

District 30-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

McAllen Rowe 19 6 6 0 —

PSJA North 21 8 5 1 1

Mission High — — 4 2 2

McAllen High 15 9 4 2 2

PSJA High 8 16 2 4 4

La Joya J-L 2 21 1 4 4.5

La Joya High 10 20 1 5 5

McAllen Memorial 9 17 1 5 5

District 31-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Edinburg Economedes 11 5 5 0 —

Weslaco High 22 6 5 1 .5

Edinburg Vela 19 9 4 1 1

Edinburg High 13 9 2 3 3

Edinburg North 16 13 1 4 4

Weslaco East 5 13 1 4 4

Donna North 0 16 0 5 5

District 32-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Los Fresnos 18 7 2 0 —

Brownsville Hanna 12 10 1 1 1

Harlingen South 9 10 1 1 1

Harlingen High 16 11 1 1 1

Brownsville Rivera 5 16 1 1 1

San Benito 0 13 0 2 2

District 31-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Sharyland Pioneer 18 7 6 0 —

Rio Grande City 17 10 5 1 1

Mission Veterans 11 14 3 3 3

PSJA Southwest 6 11 3 3 3

Roma 12 14 2 4 4

La Joya Palmview 10 20 2 4 4

PSJA Memorial 6 12 2 4 4

Sharyland High 10 15 1 5 5

District 32-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Brownsville Veterans 14 6 6 0 —

Brownsville Pace 18 9 5 1 1

Edcouch-Elsa 20 11 4 2 2

Mercedes 20 7 4 2 2

Brownsville Porter 11 13 3 3 3

Brownsville Lopez — — 1 5 5

Donna High 9 13 1 5 5

Valley View 13 11 0 6 6

District 32-4A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Hidalgo 20 6 6 0 —

Port Isabel 19 6 4 2 2

Raymondville 14 7 4 2 2

Zapata 13 6 4 2 2

Grulla 4 22 2 4 4

Rio Hondo 12 11 2 4 4

La Feria 2 11 1 5 5

Progreso 8 13 0 6 6

Individual Statistics

POINTS

Name G Tot. Avg.

D. Galvan, PSJA North 29 790 27.2

S. Fino, Weslaco High 26 553 21.3

G. Elizondo, San Isidro 24 501 20.9

N. Sekinger, Edinburg Vela 14 268 19.1

J . Barrientos, Economedes 18 325 18.1

L. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 24 408 17.0

M. Escobar, Edcouch-Elsa 29 483 16.7

J. Conrow, McAllen High 23 380 16.5

J. Covarrubias, RGC 27 441 16.3

E. De La Garza, PSJA N 29 474 16.3

A. Flores, Hidalgo 26 425 16.3

G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 26 419 16.1

A. Marroquin, RGC 27 420 15.6

I. Garcia, Weslaco High 28 425 15.1

N. Moore, Sharyland High 20 294 14.7

M. Arellano, Harlingen High 21 308 14.7

M. Garza, San Isidro 18 263 14.6

J. Salinas, Mission High – – 14.5

M. Ibarra, McAllen High 22 315 14.3

B. Lozoya, Mercedes 24 340 14.2

A. Salinas, Economedes 22 306 13.9

C. Ybarra, Weslaco High 28 375 13.4

L. Lindo, Shary Pioneer 21 278 13.2

J. Martinez, Los Fresnos 16 208 13.0

I. Rangel, PSJA North 27 342 12.7

D. Guerra, San Isidro 20 252 12.6

A. Aguinaga, Edcouch-Elsa 28 346 12.4

J. Ovalle, Mercedes 26 323 12.4

M. Villarreal, PSJA High 21 247 11.8

S. Quintanilla, Ed. North 26 308 11.8

C. Montelongo, Palmview 23 268 11.7

A. Gonzalez, Hidalgo 26 295 11.4

REBOUNDS

Name G Tot. Avg.

G. Elizondo, San Isidro 24 211 13.0

J. Galan, McAllen Rowe 24 238 9.9

N. Sekinger, Edinburg Vela 14 137 9.8

G. Uresti, La Joya High 22 208 9.5

L. Lindo, Shary Pioneer 21 192 9.1

J. Balderas, Weslaco High 28 252 9.0

I. Rangel, PSJA North 27 234 8.7

D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 25 210 8.4

C. Arthur, Mercedes 26 215 8.3

J. Salinas, Mission High – – 8.3

L. Garza, Mission High – – 8.0

J. Gomez, Grulla 18 142 7.9

J. Conrow, McAllen High 23 171 7.4

E. Gonzalez, Los Fresnos 23 178 7.7

A. Flores, San Isidro 24 179 7.5

A. Gonzalez, Hidalgo 26 182 7.1

A. Rubio, Sharyland High 16 112 7.0

A. Marroquin, RGC 27 177 6.5

A. Reyes, San Isidro 24 159 6.6

S. Arjona, Hidalgo 24 155 6.5

S. Fino, Weslaco High 26 155 5.9

ASSISTS

Name G Tot. Avg.

L. Toledano, Hidalgo 26 156 6.0

G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 24 139 5.4

M. Garza, San Isidro 18 89 4.9

D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 25 123 4,9

A. Salinas, Economedes 22 102 4.6

L. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 24 102 4.3

J. Covarrubias, RGC 27 116 4.3

D. Guerra, San Isidro 20 83 4.2

S. Fino, Weslaco High 26 107 4.1

J. Castaneda, Mercedes 26 105 4.0

C. Arthur, Mercedes 26 103 4.0

T. Moronta, Mission High – – 4.0

M. Medrano, McAllen Rowe 25 95 3.8

E. Marburger, Pioneer 18 65 3.6

C. Ybarra, Weslaco High 28 102 3.6

E. De La Garza, PSJA N 29 101 3.5

M. Ibarra, McAllen High 22 77 3.5

N. Moore, Sharyland High 20 70 3.5

B. Guerra, Edcouch-Elsa 29 98 3.4

I. Garcia, Weslaco High 28 95 3.4

D. Galvan, PSJA North 29 95 3.3

STEALS

Name G Tot. Avg.

G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 26 131 5.1

C. Ybarra, Weslaco High 28 113 4.0

A. Salinas, Economedes 22 84 3.8

D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 25 91 3.6

M. Garza, San Isidro 18 63 3.5

I. Garcia, Weslaco High 28 95 3.4

L. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 24 79 3.3

A. Marroquin, RGC 27 83 3.1

A. Salinas, McAllen Rowe 23 72 3.1

J. Covarrubias, RGC 27 83 3.1

S. Arjona, Hidalgo 26 78 3.0

M. Medrano, McAllen Rowe 25 76 3.0

N. Moore, Sharyland High 20 57 2.9

G, Elizondo, San Isidro 24 67 2.8

A. Reyes, San Isidro 24 67 2.8

M. Escobar, Edcouch-Elsa 29 75 2.6

M. Ibarra, McAllen High 22 55 2.5

D. Galvan, PSJA North 29 73 2.5

C. Montelongo, Palmview 23 56 2.4

J. Vasquez, Edinburg North 21 50 2.4

A. Gonzalez, Hidalgo 26 60 2.3

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

MERCEDES — Heartbreak has come early and often for the Valley View Tigers this year.

After a tremendous football season, and in the second year under head coach Joe Rodriguez, the school was starting to get excited about the potential and growth of the basketball team.

Javy Lopez, who had a standout season on the gridiron, was excited to join the team after the Tigers final football game, but on Nov. 27, Lopez suffered an injury.

“When it happened, we were just hoping it wasn’t an ACL,” said senior guard Alan Fuentes, who suffered his own ACL tear in his sophomore year. “We went to the trainers to check up on him, me and my friends, and they told me, ‘we haven’t seen this kind of injury before.’ I was worried because I was thinking the worst, some sort of major injury. We wanted him to still be able to play, because he was a big part of our team last year, he was quick, and he helped us out a lot defensively.”

The injury ended up being an ACL, ending Lopez’s season just 11 days after he first got with the team.

Just as the team began to recover from that injury, Rodriguez endured more heartbreak.

“I lost my dad on Christmas night,” Rodirguez said. “It’s been hard. It’s been hard. But these kids they keep me coming, because they are very hard-working kids. They don’t know how to say quit.”

Coach Rodriguez’s father Robert A. Rodriguez was a migrant worker from Weslaco.

“He was a great dad, had a sense of humor and sacrificed for us,” Rodriguez said. “I want to thank my wife and rock Jesusita Rodriguez and my kids Jackie and Jeremy for all of their endless support. I am so grateful to my players, and their families, our school board and AD, and everyone who has supported me through this hard time.”

Rodriguez emphasized how much love he received from his players.

“We try to support him through everything,” sophomore guard Kevan Diaz said. “We have cried with him, tears come out and everything. We just try to cheer him up.”

As the action resumed after the tragic break, the Tigers lost two starters, including senior point guard Jose Solis who suffered the same injury as Lopez, an ACL.

“It was hard, because (Solis) would usually run the one all game,” Fuentes said. “We would hardly take him out, because he was our best player at the one. Others would run it, but not as good. He could control the pace and everything. He would push it, and we would all follow him. We respect him.”

Both Lopez and Solis will miss the rest of their senior year.

The pain and heavy hearts were bad enough, but the team couldn’t catch a break on the court either.

The Tigers are currently 13-11 overall, meaning they have already doubled last year’s win total of six, but their 0-6 district record shows how much the injuries have taken a toll on the team.

Many teams might have imploded given the circumstances, but Valley View turned to Fuentes, who has been the rock of the team.

“I don’t like giving up,” Fuentes said. “That is like failing. My little brother, he really looks up to me, so I don’t want him to see me quit at anything. Because, he is about to be in seventh grade, so like he is about to play and all that. I am going to try to teach him a lot of things, to get him better. We just play through it, win or lose.”

Fuentes has also taken over the ball-handling responsibilities since Solis’ injury.

“I’m starting to get comfortable with it,” Fuentes said. “I didn’t like to run the one, because I would get pressured. Against Brownsville Pace, that was my first time running the point, and I did really good. But I still had some minor mistakes that led to turnovers. Overall, I would say I am starting to get better at it.”

Sophomore guard Diaz has also emerged as a leader at the guard position, and has shown great potential on the court.

“Kevan leads us, by I think, a few points in scoring, as a sophomore,” Rodriguez said. “That speaks volumes to his talent.”

Diaz is just one of many talented sophomores who are beginning to form the future of the program. Forward Miguel Flores, guard Erik Trevino and wing Elian Camarillo along with Diaz were part of the JV team that went 10-4 in district last year.

The positive vibes that circles these gut-wrenching scenarios at Valley View flows from the coach to the players and vice versa.

“One of the things we always talk about is worry about the journey more than the results,” Rodriguez said. “That is the thing that they have kept up, and in the midst of all the negative, we stay positive. They always remember the approach that we are going to take. It is all about the approach.”

Fuentes knows that this may not be Valley View’s year to break through, although a playoff spot is still not out of the question.He also knows what he has seen from his coach.

At a program like Valley View, Rodriguez doesn’t have a row of assistants on the bench to lighten the load. The small staff has to work hard to cover all the ground. Still, Rodriguez takes the time to focus on building his pipeline with sub-varsity teams. Rodriguez is there early, and stays late. He works long hours with little rest. “I’m not sure whether the kids feed off of me more, or if I feed off of their passion more,” he said

Fuentes was there before Rodriguez, and he has seen the way the program has thrived under Rodriguez.

“We were a slow team my sophomore year, we would run Iso-ball,” Fuentes said. “Last year, we started to get into more a team concept. We started to run and gun. We tried just shooting the ball and pressing. That is what has helped us out this year.”

Fuentes grasps these concepts quickly, because even though he was a late arriver to the sport — he didn’t even play until the seventh grade — he quickly became a hoops junkie, watching his San Antonio Spurs, but also studying great players like Allen Iverson and Tony Parker.

“I started to watch a lot of NBA, and it really got me into how they read plays,” Fuentes said. “As soon as I saw that, I took it into my game, and it worked for me.”

Now, Fuentes and the rest of the seniors can leave their mark on the sophomore core at Valley View. Fuentes wants to be sure when his younger brother Alexander gets to Valley View, he is joining a strong program.

“Hopefully by his freshman year, I want him to be varsity,” Fuentes said. “He can be really good. I will make him better. Seventh grade, hopefully he makes the A team. I can’t wait to watch him play.”

[email protected]

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

MERCEDES — Ever since Mercedes beat rival Edcouch-Elsa by three points in overtime Jan. 2, the team has been playing with an added confidence.

“Anytime we meet up with Edcouch, it is a good game,” Mercedes senior forward Caleb Arthur said. “It goes back years. Mercedes versus Edcouch is always a big game.”

In a continuation of a Tuesday postponement, Mercedes kept rolling and won 70-39 over Valley View in a District 32-5A meeting of Tigers.

On Tuesday, a roof leak at Valley View caused severe wetness on the court. Consequently, the game was moved to Mercedes and resumed at the point of stoppage Tuesday.

The strange circumstances of the postponement led to an odd look to the start of Wednesday’s action. Mercedes had a 5-0 lead, and the clock started with just under five minutes left in the first. As a result, Mercedes led from the opening whistle to the final buzzer.

“This puts us at 4-2,” Mercedes coach Rick Trevino said. “It is a decent spot for us, with one game left in the first round, against (Brownsville) Porter. Porter is pretty good, they are the other one, right underneath us and Edcouch in the standings. This is a big win for us, but we will only really get one day to get ready to try to go get one more before the start of the second round.”

Mercedes has shown time and again they can play with anyone in the district. They beat E-E and lost by just three points to district-leading Brownsville Veterans.

While their play and results have proven they are a team to be feared in 32-5A, the team prefers not to think too hard about the standings.

“We have had a lot of close games,” Trevino said. “One game at a time. As cliché as that sounds, that is where our focus needs to be.”

Mercedes is extremely fluid in the way they defend. The back court of senior point guard Jared Castaneda and junior guard Jordan Ovalle have been dominant all year, although Arthur has also stepped into the role of guard often, capable of playing either spot.

What makes Mercedes deadly is their ability to guard the frontcourt. Senior Jesse Fuentes has become a true leader in that department. The first-year varsity player can guard bigger fives or run with smaller teams.

“Caleb leads us in blocks, but usually, he is guarding the best player, whether they are a guard or a big,” Trevino said. “Jesse has come up big for us too. He is an arm and leg guy, he is a bigger body. He can deflect the ball. Even our guard Brandon has done some work against bigs. So I think everybody has done their part to kind of help with the bigs.”

Junior Brandon Lozoya, who is electric on offense, can also guard bigger posts, but his speed allows him to seamlessly transition to guarding smaller players as well.

“Finally, we have some guys that can defend in the post,” Castaneda said. “I know we had some football guys in the past, but finally we have some pure basketball guys. That is what we need. We are glad that we have these versatile guys that can do it on both ends of the floor.”

When Mercedes needs some real size down low, they can also turn to sophomore Horacio Pequeno, whose football body has transitioned well to the court.

Against Valley View on Wednesday, Mercedes was able to showcase a lot of the components that have worked so well this season. They got out and ran in transition, often beating the entire defense to get uncontested layups. The outside shot was also a key weapon for Mercedes on Tuesday, as it has been throughout the season. But Mercedes isn’t all threes and layups, they still used the paint and midrange effectively, and they make it impossible to predict where their points will come from.

On Wednesday, Casataneda had the hot hand, leading the team with 19 points. Ovalle added 12, and Lozoya contributed 11. On any given night, any of the three can lead the team in scoring; Arthur also has that ability.

With the first round nearly done, Mercedes is in a great spot to earn a playoff spot. However, Castaneda and the rest of the team try not to think in those terms.

“We are not in a position to take anyone lightly,” Castaneda said. “I play every game as if it is my last, because as a senior, there are only so many left.”

But the wins certainly bring confidence to the play on the court.

“I think we are feeling pretty good,” Trevino said. “We knew we were playing the reigning district champs early on, and teams that were projected really high early on. So, we try not to get too high with the highs or low with the lows. We knew what the schedule was, that we had a lot of games early on. I think they are playing confident right now. Hopefully they can keep it up the rest of the way.”

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Jan. 15

District 30-6A

PSJA North 70, McAllen Memorial 53

Mission High 71, PSJA High 64

McAllen Rowe 53, La Joya High 32

McAllen High 96, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 39

District 31-6A

Edinburg Economedes 62, Weslaco High 60

Weslaco East 63, Donna North 30

Edinburg Vela 65, Edinburg North 44

District 32-6A

Harlingen High 42, Harlingen South 36

Los Fresnos 57, Brownsville Hanna 52

Brownsville Rivera 50, San Benito 39

District 31-5A

Rio Grande City 68, Mission Veterans 49

La Joya Palmview 54, Sharyland High 47

PSJA Memorial 57, Roma 51

Sharyland Pioneer 68, PSJA Southwest 51

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa 75, Brownsville Lopez 61

Brownsville Veterans 67, Brownsville Pace 54

Brownsville Porter 67, Donna High 57

District 32-4A

Rio Hondo 55, Progreso 46

Hidalgo 68, Raymondville 67, OT

La Feria 62, Grulla 41

Zapata at Port Isabel, not reported

District 32-3A

Santa Rosa 91, Monte Alto 44

District 32-2A

San Isidro 81, La Villa 43

Wednesday, Jan. 16

District 32-5A

Mercedes 70, Valley View 39

Friday, Jan. 18

District 30-6A

La Joya High at Mission High, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA High at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

McAllen Memorial at McAllen Rowe, 7:30 p.m.

McAllen High at PSJA North, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-6A

Edinburg High at Weslaco East, 7:30 p.m.

Donna North at Edinburg North, 7:30 p.m.

Edinburg Economedes at Edinburg Vela, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-6A

Harlingen South at Brownsville Hanna, 6 p.m.

Brownsville Rivera at Harlingen High, 6 p.m.

Los Fresnos at San Benito, 6 p.m.

District 31-5A

La Joya Palmview at Sharyland Pioneer, 7:30 p.m.

Roma at Sharyland High, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at Mission Veterans, 7:30 p.m.

Rio Grande City at PSJA Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Pace, 7:30 p.m.

Valley View at Brownsville Lopez, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial at Donna High, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at Mercedes, 7:30 p.m.

District 32-4A

Port Isabel at Progreso, 8 p.m.

Rio Hondo at La Feria, 8 p.m.

Raymondville at Zapata, 8 p.m.

Grulla at Hidalgo, 8 p.m.

District 32-3A

Lyford at Vanguard Alamo, 6:30 p.m.

Santa Rosa at Edinburg IDEA Quest, 7 p.m.

District 32-2A

Santa Maria at San Isidro, 7:30 p.m.

La Villa at San Perlita, 7:30 p.m.

Non-District

Mission Juan Diego at Lasara, 6:30 p.m.

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORE

Wednesday’s Game

District 32-5A

MERCEDES 70, VALLEY VIEW 39

Valley View 6 9 13 11 39

Mercedes 19 18 21 12 70

MERCEDES (70): Caleb Arthur 8, Alex Rincon 2, Justin Closner 4, Jared Castaneda 19, Ramiro Ortiz 8, Jesse Fuentes 2, Jordan Ovalle 12, Brandon Lozoya 11, Horacio Pequeno 4.

VALLEY VIEW (39): Isaac Lira 11, Elian Camarillo 3, Kevan Diaz 9, Miguel Flores 2, E Trevino 2, Alan Fuentes 5, Andres Sepulveda 8.

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

PSJA NORTH 70, McALLEN MEMORIAL 53

PSJA North 17 15 19 19 — 70

McAllen Mem. 13 9 6 25 — 53

PSJA NORTH (70): Matthew Cantu 4, Arturo Beltran 9, Elijah De La Garza 15, Daunte Galvan 28, Ricky Garcia 2, Isaac Gonzalez 2, Iziaah Rangel 10.

McALLEN MEMORIAL (53): Hugo Bazan 4, Caleb Eberle 5, Jan Mendoza 7, RJ Roth 10, Christian Espinoza 8, Kobe Gushwa 4, Nate Zuniga 3, Leroy Escalon 3, Miguel Fuentes 2, Colin Baus 5, Diego Perales 2.

RECORDS: PSJA North 21-8, 5-1.

MISSION HIGH 71, PSJA HIGH 64

Mission High 22 14 18 17 — 71

PSJA High 15 10 15 24 — 64

MISSION HIGH (71): Eddie Rivero 8, Deandre Sifuentes 7, Andy Martinez 3, Rey Garcia 10, Martin Vasquez 20, Jahel Salinas 4, Louie Garcia 19.

PSJA HIGH (64): Chris Gonzalez 4, Nick Ruiz 14, Andrew Casas 2, Victor Rangel 7, Josh Loredo 5, Jesus Salinas 3, Jesus Ramos 3, Juan Rodriguez 7, Miguel Villarreal 8, Rick Salazar 11

RECORD: PSJA High 2-4.

District 31-6A

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 62, WESLACO HIGH 60

Ed. Economedes 12 13 10 27 — 62

Weslaco High 17 19 14 10 — 60

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (62): Trini Moreno 13, Angel Salinas 19, Johnathan Barrientos 18, Saul Alanis 9, Ricardo Chapa 3.

WESLACO HIGH (60): Caleb Ybarra 6. Safi Fino-A-Laself 25, Rollie Berrones 7, JJ Balderas 11, Matt Casanova 1, Isaiah Garcia 10.

RECORDS: Edinburg Economedes 19-5, 5-0; Weslaco High 22-6, 5-1.

EDINBURG VELA 65, EDINBURG NORTH 44

Edinburg North 15 4 9 16 — 44

Edinburg Vela 22 17 12 14 — 65

EDINBURG VELA (65): Noah Sekinger 24, Nate Gomez 2, Austin Garza 6, Kaleb Coronoado 3, Ozzy Garcia 9, Bobby Espericueta 6, Josh Diaz 12, Kobe Gipson 3.

EDINBURG NORTH (44): Noah Chavana 5, Andrew Nunez 4, Ethan Garcuia 5, Sergio Quintanilla 7, Aldo Reta 14, Moises Garza 2, Juan Vasquez 3, Juan Garza 4.

RECORDS: Edinburg Vela 19-9, 4-1; Edinburg North 12-11, 1-5.

District 31-5A

RIO GRANDE CITY 68, MISSION VETERANS 49

Mission Vets 11 11 6 21 — 49

Rio Grande City 15 17 22 14 — 68

RIO GRANDE CITY (68): Aaron Marroquin 9, Jaime Covarrubias 14, Raudel Solis 2, Michael Thomas 7, Bryan Jones 2, Mikey Compean 13, Dennis Trevino 6, Rudy Bazan 5, Jush Garcia 10.

MISSION VETERANS (49): Noe Cantu 5, Josue Muniz 4, AJ Gonzaque 9, Ryan Pacheco 3, Rick Loya 2, Jacob Marquez 10, homer Garza 2, JT Lerma 6, Adrian Villarreal 8.

RECORDS: Rio Grande City 17-10, 5-1.

District 32-5A

EDCOUCH-ELSA 75, BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ 61

Bro. Lopez 12 11 15 24 — 61

Edcouch-Elsa 23 18 12 22 — 75

EDCOUCH-ELSA (75): Pauly Rodriguez 2, Marcos Escobar 23, Christian Lira 2, Dillon Gomez 8, Aaron Aguinaga 13, Bryan Guerra 6, Nico Ybarra 2, Damian Granados 12, Lupe Balderas 4, JJ Martinez 3.

BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ (61): Hiram M. 25, Ozzy G. 9, Angel G. 5, Jose S. 2, Angel H. 11, JJ B. 9.

RECORDS: Edcouch-Elsa 20-11, 4-2.

District 32-4A

HIDALGO 68, RAYMONDVILLE 67, OT

Hidalgo 14 22 18 10 4 — 68

Raymondville 16 20 9 19 3 — 67

HIDALGO (68): Andy Flores 25, Alexis Gonzalez 2, Gus Sanchez 14, Luis Toledano 4, Moises Longoria 12, Julio Zamorano 6, Saul Arjona 5.

RAYMONDVILLE (67): Joseph Rivas 16, Jacob Posas 7, Aaron Castillo 30, Xavier Ledesma 4, Jayson Cantu 10.

RECORDS: Hidalgo 20-6, 6-0.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — With 17.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter of a District 31-6A battle, Edinburg Economedes senior Saul Alanis stepped up to the free-throw line, and sunk both to tie the game at 60.

The Weslaco High Panthers brought the ball up court, and everyone in the gym knew the ball would go to senior guard Safi Fino-A-Laself, who already had 25 points.

Econ senior Angel Salinas had been guarding him much of the game; the final possession was no different.

Fino-A-Laself wanted the ball earlier, but he didn’t get it until there were about seven seconds left on the clock.

“Angel forced him right, and then we had a triple team there,” Economedes coach Carlos Ramos said.

With three taller players smothering Fino-A-Laself, Salinas, the Valley’s second-leading steal man, poked the ball lose, and started to run up court.

“I grabbed it,” Salinas said. “I felt it on my left hand. I had the ball in my right. I was going to shoot the ball, but thank God they called the foul.”

The buzzer sounded and the whole gym was prepared for overtime, but the referees huddled up and when they broke the conference they signaled a foul. With the Jaguars in the bonus, that meant two shots for Salinas. They also reset the game clock to 1.5 seconds.

“I live for those moments,” Salinas said. “I love being under pressure. That is my game. That is my time.”

Salinas sunk both, and the Panthers desperation heave went wide, leading the Jaguars to a 62-60 win Tuesday at Weslaco High School.

“The last time we were here, we played three years ago,” Ramos said. “We lost a playoff game to Weslaco. They are a very well-coached team. Every time we face them, I know they run their set, probably the best in the Valley. So, we tried everything. We went man, we went zone, we went box and one. Thank God we got the win. It was just through perseverance. Our kids, they wanted it a little bit more.”

The Panthers were in charge throughout the course of the game. In fact, when Econ took the lead at the end, it was the first lead change since Econ led 2-0 to start the game.

The Panthers led by five after the first quarter, 11 at the half, and their largest lead of the game, 15 points, at the end of the third.

But the Jaguars have come from behind plenty throughout the year. This is not a new situation for them, and Salinas said after that he knew his team had the win in them.

“We just kept fighting and fighting,” Salinas said. “Fourth quarter, we were on fire. I saw the fire in my teammates’ eyes, and I knew we were going to come back.”

The Jaguars only go about seven or eight deep with their rotations, but being tired is not something they worry about.

“We do a lot of running in practice,” Ramos said. “A lot of our drills are game-conditioning drills that hopefully get them ready for something like this. We hadn’t been in a burner like this, and I think that is what got us over the edge there at the end.”

Weslaco sophomore center JJ Balderas had been on a roll, finishing the game with 11 points, all in the seconds half.

“(Balderas) has some really good post moves,” Salinas said. “He had that little spin going. Rick came up big there.”

Econ senior Ricardo Chapa was able to slow Balderas late, after being scorched early. And then with just over 30 seconds left, Chapa was trying to intentionally foul Balderas. Balderas felt the foul was too rough, and responded by throwing the ball at Chapa. Both received a foul, and Balderas was set to go to the line. The foul, however, was Balderas’ fifth, ending his night.

Without the inside presence of Balderas, the Jaguars were able to get through the lane just a little bit easier, setting up the late game theatrics.

Salinas’ biggest contribution to the game was his defense on Fino-A-Laself. The Panthers’ star guard had 21 points by halftime, but Salinas made it his mission to lock him down in the second half, holding him to just four points.

But that defense took a toll on Salinas. He was quick to point out he didn’t have his best performance offensively.

“I was just playing smart,” Salinas said. “I knew I wasn’t feeling it on offense, so I trusted my teammates.

“My boy Johnny (Barrientos), he knocked down a lot of threes. That’s scary, once he is on fire, he is on fire and he ain’t missing. I don’t think he missed the whole fourth quarter. I was just trying to get the ball to him.”

Barrientos made three straight 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and finished the game with 18 points.

Economedes remains undefeated in District 31-6A, now the only team able to claim that. They face Edinburg Vela in their final matchup of the first round.

“We don’t like to talk about those things — because we are a really humble team — but we are No. 1 right now,” Salinas said. “We don’t take this win as an accomplishment, though, because we know we will play them again next round. We have to be ready every night from here on out.”

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