RGVSports.com Top Ten

Team W-L Prev
1. Los Fresnos 28-6 1
2. McAllen Rowe 23-8 2
3. Edinburg Vela 19-13 3
4. Brownsville Pace 25-8 4
5. Edinburg North 23-11 NR
6. Harlingen High 26-9 6
7. McAllen Memorial 23-8 7
8. Hidalgo 24-9 NR
9. Rio Grande City 21-9 8
10. Edcouch-Elsa 16-16 9

x-clinched playoff berth

y-clinched district title

District 30-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

x-McAllen Rowe 23 8 10 0 —

x-McAllen Memorial 23 8 8 2 2

x-McAllen High 16 14 6 4 4

x-La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 21 11 6 5 4.5

La Joya High 11 22 2 8 8

La Joya Palmview 6 25 2 8 8

Mission High — — 2 8 8

District 31-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

x-Edinburg Vela 19 13 11 1 —

x-Edinburg North 23 11 10 2 1

x-Edinburg High 26 9 9 3 2

x-Edinburg Economedes 24 12 8 4 3

PSJA Memorial 21 12 5 7 6

PSJA North 12 21 2 10 9

PSJA High 12 21 2 10 9

PSJA Southwest 4 21 1 11 10

District 32-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

y-Los Fresnos 28 6 11 1 —

Harlingen High 26 9 8 4 3

Harlingen South 23 11 8 4 3

Weslaco High 24 8 8 4 3

Brownsville Rivera 16 13 7 5 4

San Benito — — 3 9 8

Brownsville Hanna 14 19 2 10 9

Weslaco East 7 25 1 11 10

District 31-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

x-Laredo Nixon 27 6 13 1 —

x-Laredo Martin 18 13 12 2 1

Rio Grande City 21 9 9 5 4

Laredo Cigarroa — — 8 6 5

Roma 15 15 8 6 5

Mission Veterans 17 16 6 8 7

Sharyland Pioneer 12 17 5 9 8

Sharyland High 7 24 2 13 11.5

Valley View 6 24 1 13 12

District 32-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

y-Brownsville Pace 25 8 12 0 —

x-Edcouch-Elsa 16 16 9 3 3

Brownsville Veterans 16 14 7 5 5

Donna High 11 17 6 6 6

Brownsville Porter 9 13 6 6 6

Mercedes 18 15 5 7 7

Brownsville Lopez 10 22 3 9 9

Donna North 1 28 0 12 12

District 32-4A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

y-Hidalgo 24 9 12 0 —

x-Port Isabel 17 11 8 4 4

x-Zapata 14 16 8 4 4

La Feria 8 20 5 7 7

Grulla 11 20 4 8 8

Raymondville — — 3 9 9

Progreso — — 2 10 10

Rio Hondo — — — — —

District 32-3A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

y-Santa Rosa 13 10 5 0 —

x-Brownsville IDEA Frontier 20 6 5 2 1.5

x-Lyford 12 9 3 2 2

Edinburg IDEA Quest 3 19 0 5 5

Monte Alto 8 16 0 6 5.5

District 32-2A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

x-San Perlita 13 14 5 0 —

x-San Isidro 23 5 4 2 1.5

x-Santa Maria 6 11 2 3 3

La Villa 11 11 2 5 4.5

Lasara — — 0 6 5.5

Individual Statistics
POINTS
Name G Tot. Avg.
D. Galvan, PSJA North 33 916 27.8
D. Luna, McAllen Rowe 28 627 22.5
E. De La Garza, Mission Vets 26 492 18.9
M. Arrellano, Harlingen High 34 640 18.8
G. Elizondo, San Isidro 25 435 17.4
A. Woodard, Edinburg High 31 530 17.1
L. Garza, LJ Juarez-Lincoln 24 405 16.9
M. Fernandez, Sharyland High 28 473 16.9
R. Nunez, Rio Grande City 27 453 16.7
N. Armstrong, Brownsville Hanna — — 16.2
G. Rivera, Weslaco East 11 178 16.2
J. Ortega, Brownsville Pace 23 364 15.8
J. Pulido, La Joya High 32 492 15.4
J. Ovalle, Mercedes 29 422 14.6
N. Sekinger, Edinburg Vela 24 — 14.4
J. Sanchez, McAllen Memorial 23 330 14.3
A. Carrizales, Los Fresnos 33 467 14.2
D. Guerra, San Isidro 24 339 14.1
G. Garcia, Roma — — 13.8
C. Flores, McAllen Memorial 31 422 13.6
J. Urbina, Los Fresnos 33 445 13.5
G. Lowery, Harlingen South — — 13.4
J. Garza, Donna North 13 173 13.3
B. Lozoya, Mercedes 23 302 13.1
A. Moreno, Donna High 21 270 12.9
J. Barrientos, Economedes 33 421 12.8
G. Martinez, Los Fresnos 32 408 12.8
L. Alanis, Roma — — 12.7
A. Beltran, PSJA North 18 229 12.7
M. Maldonado, Grulla 31 392 12.7
M. Garza, San Isidro 24 303 12.6
I. Garcia, PSJA High 31 390 12.6
G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 33 417 12.6
J. Cantu, Edinburg High 33 413 12.5
A. Briones, Harlingen South — — 12.5
G. Garcia, Roma — — 12.3
C. Melendez, McAllen Memorial 31 381 12.3
D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 28 344 12.3
J. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 28 341 12.2
C. Garcia, B. St. Joseph — — 12.2
J. Gonzalez, Edcouch-Elsa 32 386 12.1
C. Esteve, B. St. Joseph — — 12.1
E. Ibarra, Mission Veterans 25 300 12.0
B. Argil, McAllen High 29 348 12.0
M. Medrano, Weslaco East 11 132 12.0
C. Mendoza, LJ Juarez-Lincoln 24 288 12.0
A. Nunez, Edinburg North 30 354 11.8
J. Conrow, McAllen High 29 335 11.6
N. Cantu, Mission Veterans 13 150 11.5
F. Gonzalez, Rio Grande City 26 299 11.5
I. Rangel, Edinburg North 30 346 11.5
F. Aleman, Edinburg North 31 352 11.4
F. Sanchez, Hidalgo 33 370 11.2
J. Rucoba, Brownsville Hanna — — 11.1
A. Marroquin, Rio Grande City 27 300 11.1
J. Vasquez, Harlingen High 32 353 11.0
D. Garcia, Edinburg High 33 362 11.0
D. Medrano, Donna High 21 228 10.9
C. Love, Harlingen South — — 10.7
R. Rodriguez, Valley View 10 — 10.4
V. Galvan, San Perlita — — 10.3
J. Herrera, San Perlita — — 10.2
J. Caballero, Edcouch-Elsa 30 305 10.2
A. Sepulveda, Valley View 17 — 10.2
I. Gutierrez, Grulla 26 264 10.2
M. Sesler, Harlingen High 33 332 10.1
S. Turrubiates, Harlingen South — — 10.1
J. Castaneda, Mercedes 25 252 10.1

REBOUNDS
Name G Tot. Avg.
L. Garza, LJ Juarez-Lincoln 24 294 12.3
G. Elizondo, San Isidro 25 305 12.2
J. Sanchez, McAllen Memorial 23 264 11.5
J. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 28 276 9.9
D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 28 260 9.3
L. Alanis, Roma — — 9.0
N. Sekinger, Edinburg Vela 24 — 8.9
J. Cantu, Edinburg High 33 285 8.6
J. Solis, Grulla 18 142 7.9
A. Carrizales, Los Fresnos 33 275 8.3
I. Rangel, Edinburg North 30 249 8.3
F. Ayala, Valley View 17 — 8.1
E. Ibarra, Mission Veterans 25 192 7.7
C. Arthur, Mercedes 27 207 7.7
A. Segovia, Grulla 29 215 7.4
R. Aguilar, Brownsville Pace 24 182 7.6
A. Woodard, Edinburg High 31 225 7.3
B. Bennett, Harlingen South — — 7.2
J. Conrow, McAllen High 29 207 7.1
D. Galvan, PSJA North 33 230 7.0
R. Nunez, Rio Grande City 27 191 7.1
D. Luna, McAllen Rowe 28 197 7.0
A. Moreno, Donna High 21 147 7.0
L. Lindo, Sharyland Pioneer 21 144 6.9
M. Sesler, Harlingen High 33 224 6.8
S. Arjona, Hidalgo 33 218 6.6
B. Lozoya, Mercedes 23 152 6.6
C. Trevino, B. St. Joseph — — 6.6
J.T. Lerma, Mission Veterans 26 163 6.5
A. Beltran, PSJA North 18 116 6.4
J. Rucoba, Brownsville Hanna — — 6.3
A. Salinas, Economedes 33 209 6.3
A. Marroquin, Rio Grande City 27 162 6.0
R. Garcia, Mission High — — 6.0
T. Rangel, Los Fresnos 33 195 5.9
G. Rivera, Weslaco East 11 65 5.9
V. Campos, Brownsville Hanna — — 5.8
J. Ramos, PSJA High 30 173 5.8
A. Gonzalez, Hidalgo 33 184 5.6

ASSISTS
Name G Tot. Avg.
A. Bernal, McAllen Rowe 27 177 6.6
A. Salinas, Economedes 33 210 6.4
C. Mendoza, LJ Juarez-Lincoln 24 138 5.8
C. Flores, McAllen Memorial 31 184 5.9
J. Castaneda, Mercedes 25 134 5.4
J. Torre, Brownsville Hanna — — 5.4
D. Luna, McAllen Rowe 28 147 5.3
G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 33 170 5.2
M. Garza, San Isidro 24 119 5.0
J. Covarrubias, Rio Grande City 16 79 5.0
I. Garcia, PSJA High 31 145 4.7
A. Anaya, Hidalgo 33 138 4.2
V. Campos, Brownsville Hanna — — 4.2
C. Garcia, B. St. Joseph — — 4.2
A. Rodriguez, Roma — — 4.1
T. Moronta, Mission High — — 4.0
E. De La Garza, Mission Vets 26 103 4.0
D. Galvan, PSJA North 33 130 3.9
J. Urbina, Los Fresnos 33 125 3.8
N. Cantu, Mission Veterans 13 48 3.7
I. Gutierrez, Grulla 31 109 3.5
K. Money, B. St. Joseph — — 3.4
J. Sanchez, McAllen Memorial 23 78 3.4
M. Arrellano, Harlingen High 34 111 3.3
J. Ortega, Brownsville Pace 23 76 3.3
E. Ibarra, Mission Veterans 25 81 3.2
B. Guerra, Edcouch-Elsa 32 104 3.3
A. Nunez, Edinburg North 30 90 3.0
D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 28 85 3.0
M. Ibarra, McAllen High 29 89 3.1
C. Melendez, McAllen Memorial 31 91 2.9
T. Chavana, Edinburg Vela 20 — 2.9
B. Lozoya, Mercedes 23 64 2.7
P. Silvero, B. St. Joseph — — 2.7
A. Reyes, La Feria 20 53 2.7
M. Maldonado, Grulla 31 84 2.7
J. Solis, Grulla 18 46 2.6
O. Saenz, La Joya High 31 85 2.7
F. Ayala, Valley View 17 — 2.5

STEALS
Name G Tot. Avg.
A. Bernal, McAllen Rowe 27 190 7.0
A. Salinas, Economedes 33 191 5.8
D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 28 137 4.9
J. Urbina, Los Fresnos 33 146 4.4
G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 33 131 4.0
J. Covarrubias, Rio Grande City 16 56 3.5
F. Sanchez, Hidalgo 33 113 3.4
M. Arrellano, Harlingen High 34 109 3.2
D. Galvan, PSJA North 33 102 3.1
E. Ibarra, Mission Veterans 25 77 3.1
M. Garza, San Isidro 24 71 3.0
D. Luna, McAllen Rowe 28 85 3.0
A. Briones, Harlingen South — — 3.0
S. Arjona, Hidalgo 33 98 3.0
J. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 28 82 2.9
C. Garcia, B. St. Joseph — — 2.9
N. Cantu, Mission Veterans 13 36 2.8
A. Rodriguez, Roma — — 2.8
B. Lozoya, Mercedes 23 64 2.7
J. Castaneda, Mercedes 25 68 2.7
A. Marroquin, Rio Grande City 27 72 2.6
I. Garcia, PSJA High 31 82 2.6
F. Gonzalez, Rio Grande City 26 67 2.6
A. Anaya, Hidalgo 33 78 2.4
D. Rodriguez, Edcouch-Elsa 32 73 2.3
C. Montelongo, La Joya High 28 64 2.3
E. Garza, Donna High 20 46 2.3
E. De La Garza, Mission Vets 26 58 2.3
P. Silvero, B. St. Joseph — — 2.1
J. Vasquez, Harlingen High 32 67 2.1
D. Gonzalez, Roma — — 2.0
I. Gutierrez, Grulla 31 62 2.0
A. Carrizales, Los Fresnos 33 67 2.0
J. Solis, Grulla 18 34 1.9
J. Torre, Brownsville Hanna — — 1.9
F. Aleman, Edinburg North 31 58 1.9
J. Ortega, Brownsville Pace 23 43 1.9
L. Garza, LJ Juarez-Lincoln 24 42 1.8
C. Flores, McAllen Memorial 31 56 1.8

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

MISSION — Rio Grande City has such a strong starting unit that even when senior guard Izrael Lambert has a great all-around game, including 19 points, he still doesn’t lead the team in scoring.

That’s because the Rattlers are like the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, in that on any given night, any one of their starters can carry the load. Or, they can share it among the five on the court.

“I think we feel really good because of our defense,” sophomore guard Aaron Marroquin said. “I think we match up well with everyone. There is not a single team that we are afraid of. We can match up to everyone. We have defense, we have speed, and we have (height).”

That defense-first mentality was what sparked Lambert on Tuesday, as Rio cruised to a 71-51 win at Sharyland High School.

“Lambert played a hell of a game,” Rio coach Juan Aldape said. “He’s our defensive specialist. He’s the one that takes the role of guarding the best guys. He knows that, and today he stepped it up on offense, too. He was there jumping with them from beginning to the end. I think he went toe-to-toe in points with Fernandez.”

Junior guard Mauro Fernandez is putting together an outstanding year for the downtrodden Sharyland High Rattlers, who are out of playoff contention. Fernandez is averaging 16.9 points per game through 28 games. The next leading scorer for Sharyland, senior Ernesto Robinson, is averaging 5.4 points per game in only 24 games.

Fernandez still scored 20 on Tuesday, but he earned every basket, and Lambert prevented Fernandez from hitting the shots that could have changed the momentum of the game.

“He played very good defense,” Marroquin said of his teammate. “Coach told us to keep (Fernandez) in check, and (Lambert) did that all four quarters. (Fernandez) can score, because he’s a scorer, but he kept him in check.”

“I was just hoping to contain his shooting,” Lambert said. “His drives are all right, but the shooting is what he’s better at. That’s what I was trying to defend the most. It was hard on those pick and rolls, but I had to fight through them.”

Rio jumped out to an early lead, was up 22-7 at the close of the first quarter and never really looked back.

Lambert was one point away from a game-high point total of 20, which was scored by both Marroquin and Fernandez. Rio senior center Rodrigo Nuñez added 17.

Rio has an outright hold on third place in District 31-5A at 9-5, but Roma and Laredo Cigarroa could still potentially push for that spot with two games remaining. RGC closes out the season with Valley View and Laredo Martin, who ranks second in district.

“We just have to take care of business, worry about our games, and that way we don’t need help from anybody else,” Aldape said. “That next game with Valley View makes us sit pretty on that spot.”

Making the playoffs means a lot to this team.

“It would be very fantastic,” Lambert said. “It would be the first time in — I don’t know how many years — first time in a while.”

Five years, to be exact.

[email protected]

VALLEY HS BOY BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Feb. 6

District 30-6A

McAllen Rowe 61, McAlle High 49

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 75, La Joya High 39

Mission High 53, La Joya Palmview 39

District 31-6A

Edinburg High 69, PSJA North 59

Edinburg North 62, PSJA High 35

Edinburg Vela 68, Edinburg Economedes 58

PSJA Memorial 47, PSJA Southwest 37

District 32-6A

Weslaco High 63, Los Fresnos 46

Harlingen High 70, San Benito 40

Harlingen South 64, Brownsville Rivera 39

Brownsville Hanna 59, Weslaco East 43

District 31-5A

Roma 69, Sharyland Pioneer 62

Mission Veterans 54, Valley View 52

Laredo Martin 61, Laredo Nixon 55

Rio Grande City 71, Sharyland High 51

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa 54, Brownsville Porter 46

Mercedes 61, Donna North 15

Brownsville Veterans 64, Donna High 54

Brownsville Pace 66, Brownsville Lopez 53

District 32-3A

Santa Rosa at Monte Alto, not reported

District 32-2A

San Perlita at San Isidro, not reported

Non-District

Brownsville St. Joseph 68, Lyford 46

Friday, Feb. 9

District 30-6A

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

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at McAllen Memorial, 7:30 p.m.

La Joya Palmview at McAllen High, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-6A

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

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

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

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

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos at San Benito, 7:30 p.m.

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

Harlingen High at Harlingen South, 7:30 p.m.

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

District 31-5A

Laredo Nixon at Roma, 7 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer at Laredo Cigarroa, 7 p.m.

Mission Veterans at Laredo Martin, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Valley View, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

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

Mercedes at Donna High, 7:30 p.m.

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

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

District 32-4A

Progreso at Grulla, 7 p.m.

La Feria at Hidalgo, 8 p.m.

District 32-2A

Lasara at La Villa, 7:30 p.m.

Santa Maria at San Isidro, 6 p.m.

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

District 30-6A

MISSION HIGH 53, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 39

Mission High 19 17 7 10 — 53

La Joya Palmview 16 7 12 4 — 39

MISSION HIGH (53): Eddie Rivera 3, Yan Martinez 13, Tito Moronta 5, Rey Garcia 10, Alek Gomez 14, Damian Gomez 4, Louie Garcia 2.

LA JOYA PALMVIEW (39): Dante Olmeda 5, Freddy Flores 8, Gabriel Garza 2, Irving Gamez 4, Josiah Zapata 2, Allan Zarate 4, Paco De La O 14.

RECORDS: La Joya Palmview 6-25, 2-8; Mission High 2-8.

District 31-6A

EDINBURG NORTH 62, PSJA HIGH 35

Edinburg North 12 12 19 19 — 62

PSJA High 16 4 7 8 — 35

EDINBURG NORTH (62): Jose Arteaga 6, Andrew Nunez 11, Felix Aleman 8, Iziaah Rangel 10, Ben Vela, Roel de Leon, Tony Beltran 2, Juan Vasquez 4, Alec Cavazos 11, Josias Vasquez 8.

PSJA HIGH (35): Ryan Garza 3, Anderw Liszt 3, Isaiah Garcia 6, Robby Garza 4, Nathan Sanchez 8, A.J. Padron 2, Miguel Villarreal 9.

RECORDS: PSJA High 2-10.

EDINBURG VELA 68, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 58

Ed. Economedes 14 14 14 16 — 58

Edinburg Vela 19 11 20 18 — 68

EDINBURG VELA (68): Matt Arteaga 4, Noah Sekinger 21, Trey Chavana 12, Nate Gomez 3, Austin Garza 2, Aziel Garcia 8, Bobby Espericueta 2, Josh Diaz 12, Vince Olivarez 4.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (58): Jose Castillo 5, Angel Salinas 22, Johnny Barrientos 21, Saul Alaniz 8, Simon Pina 2.

EDINBURG HIGH 69, PSJA NORTH 59

PSJA North 5 23 10 21 — 59

Edinburg High 19 15 17 18 — 69

EDINBURG HIGH (69): Marc Figueroa 6, Damian Garcia 8, Matt Cruz 6, Jorge Hernandez 11, Antoine Woodard 30, Jesus Cantu 8.

PSJA HIGH (59): Daunte Galvan 42, Rick Garcia, Ramon Salinas 3, Daniel Martinez 4, Justin Perez 3, Severo Lerma 6.

RECORDS: Edinburg High 3-9; PSJA North 3-9.

PSJA MEMORIAL 47, PSJA SOUTHWEST 37

PSJA Southwest 6 8 7 16 — 37

PSJA Memorial 10 8 16 13 — 47

PSJA MEMORIAL (47): David Garner 9, Jared Koenig 2, J.D. Chavez 14, Vic Salgado 6, Ray Salinas 4, Adrian Rosales 10, Orland Muñoz 2.

PSJA SOUTHWEST (37): Omar Jimenez 10, Derek Cedillo 5, Rolando Cedillo, Dawrelle Robinson 4, Orlando Torres 2, Adrian Reyna 5, Eddie Zuniga 2, Freddy Leon 8.

District 31-5A

MISSION VETERANS 54, VALLEY VIEW 52

Mission Veterans 12 11 10 21 — 54

Valley View 14 12 17 9 — 52

MISSION VETERANS (54): Noe Cantu 22, Elijah de la Garza 17, Elias Ibarra 11, Jesus Gonzalez 1, JT Lerma 3.

VALLEY VIEW (52): Allan Fuentes 19, Felipe Ayala 16, Jose Solis 5, Andy Sepulveda 4, Javi Lopez 4, Isaac Lira 3, Edgar Jimenez.

District 32-5A

EDCOUCH-ELSA 54, BROWNSVILLE PORTER 46, OT

Brownsville Porter 12 11 11 9 3 — 46

Edcouch-Elsa 15 11 11 6 11 — 54

EDCOUCH-ELSA (54): Jeremiah Caballero 7, Aaron Aguinaga 9, Bryan Guerra 11, Dustin Rodriguez 2, Joseph Gonzalez 13, Marin rodriguez 2, Phillip Rendon 4, Marcos Escobar 5.

RECORDS: Edcouch-Elsa 14-16, 7-3.

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS 64, DONNA HIGH 54

Brownsville Vets 12 17 16 19 — 64

Donna High 12 20 12 10 — 54

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS (64): Justin Anaya 13, Damian Maldonado 21, Matthew Maddox 4, Kelly Davis 8, Paul Barrera 10, Robbie Fisher 8.

DONNA HIGH (54): Alex Sanchez 11, Derik Medrano 17, Trey Rodriguez 2, Tevon Rodriguez 2, Anthony Moreno 20, Carlos Bowen 2.

RECORDS: Donna High 6-6.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

EDINBURG — Edinburg North finally hired the coach the ECISD Board of Trustees wanted.

Five board members voted to confirm Damian Gonzalez as the new football coach and athletic coordinator for Edinburg North on Tuesday at a special ECISD broad meeting. Two board members abstained.

“I was relieved and excited to reach the culmination of this whole process,” Gonzalez said. “It was a long process, but it has been a really good experience.”

Gonzalez has been the baseball coach at ENHS for the last seven years. He brings experience as a football coach, as well, having coached the offensive line from 2007-11. Gonzalez was also the offensive coordinator for ENHS, holding that position from 2012-14.

“We just felt like that was the recommendation of the administration and the principal,” board member Oscar Salinas said. “I felt that it was important to get somebody that knew the school, knew the system and knew the kids, so that there wouldn’t be such a drastic change.”

“He’s been loyal to Edinburg North, graduated from Edinburg North,” Salinas added. “He understands the traditions and the pride that they bring. He has been very successful as an offensive coordinator under Roy Garza. And, of course, he had a very successful career as the baseball coach there. He understands the expectations and what it is going to take to make sure that Edinburg North is one of the top schools in their district.”

The ECISD board tried to name a coach at a special board meeting on Jan. 23, but the board couldn’t decide between Gonzalez and last year’s quarterbacks coach at Edinburg North, Raul Salas.

“(Gonzalez) was a player-athlete, one of the original people at that campus,” ECISD athletic director Roy Garza said. “He’s been volunteering or coaching at the school for 25 of the 27 years of its existence. He’s done a great job with the baseball program over the last 6 or 7 years as the head coach.”

Given Gonzalez’s connection to the school and the program, some of the staff could carry over, but Gonzalez hasn’t had much time to think about that just yet.

“The main thing right now is evaluating staff we have and go from there,” Gonzalez said. “Nothing will get done on a whim. I’m just going to try to be as open as possible as far as where people stand and what we are looking for.”

During his tenure as North’s head coach, Garza saw Gonzalez’s interactions with the players and other coaches.

“He was a coordinator for me for two years and an offensive line coach for me before that,” Garza said. “He’s a very bright guy. He’s a physics and science teacher. He was originally going to go to engineering school in Houston. Very articulate and pretty bright. That’s what you look for. He always had a good connection with the centers and quarterbacks.”

Last year, Edinburg North went 5-6 overall and 4-3 in District 31-6A. The Cougars made the playoffs before losing to San Benito in the first round.

“I’m excited about the kids we have coming back,” Gonzalez said. “We have some good young men coming back from last year’s playoff team. There are a lot of good young kids coming up to varsity, too, that will make an impact.”

Rene Saenz, Edinburg North’s previous football coach, held the job from 2014 until last season, when he was reassigned.

Edinburg North will have to get used to a new coach while the Cougars also adjust to a new district. Last week’s UIL realignment moved the Weslaco ISD schools and Donna North into 31-6A, while also moving the PSJA ISD schools out of the district.

“It’s going to be tough,” Gonzalez said. “The Weslaco schools are always good. This is coach (Michael) Salinas’ second year at Weslaco High, so he is going to have that program on another level. The Edinburg schools are always tough, and it doesn’t matter what their record is. I’ve been a part of so many great Edinburg rivalry games. Games are going to be tough every week. Donna North with coach Marichalar, he’s a winner, and he is going to bring that culture to Donna North. So it’s going to be a good competitive district, and I think it will be a lot of fun.”

Along with realignment came fresh non-district scheduling. Gonzalez wasn’t the coach yet, so he had no impact on the schedule, but he still feels like North’s games are a good fit. The Cougars will scrimmage Laredo Alexander and then play Mercedes, Edcouch-Elsa, McAllen High and McAllen Rowe.

“It will be a challenging schedule, but it will help us prepare for a tough district season,” Gonzalez said.

Garza said Gonzalez will not continue to coach the baseball program, but he plans to help with the team’s transition.

“We are looking to see if we can get somebody in,” Garza said. “We are in the middle of it already, so it will take some time. (We are) looking at an interim or somebody to facilitate the transition as fast as we can.”

Gonzalez and longtime baseball assistant Eddie Hinojosa are going to work to ease the transition.

[email protected]

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

DONNA — The last time Donna High made the playoffs was in Anthony Moreno’s freshman year — 2015. He’s a senior now, which means no one else on the team has tasted the playoffs.

Donna is in good position to get all of those fresh faces to the postseason, thanks in large part to Moreno, the team’s only senior.

Donna is 6-5 in District 32-5A play, which puts the team in a tie for third place with Brownsville Veterans and Brownsville Porter. Edcouch-Elsa is in second at 8-3, undefeated Brownsville Pace sits atop the district, and Mercedes (4-7) is still in the hunt in sixth place.

“We control our own destiny,” Donna High coach Manuel Epperson said. “The kids know how important it is. We win some games, (and) we can get in.”

Epperson was an assistant at Donna the last time the team made the playoffs, and the team is hungry to get Epperson his first playoff berth as the head coach.

Donna faces Vets at 7:30 tonight. The team finishes the season by hosting Mercedes on Friday, then visiting Edcouch-Elsa on the season’s final night, next Tuesday. Donna can possibly get in with just one win over the last three games, but two wins will alleviate some of the reliance on other teams’ results.

“Vets switches a lot, so we have to slip,” freshman guard Eddy Epperson said of today’s matchup. “They like to post up, so Ant (Moreno) should post up. We just need to score.”

Moreno didn’t get to play much during his freshman year, especially during the playoff push, but he did learn a lot.

“The reason we carried him, which I have re-emphasized to him recently, was to let him learn about the leadership we had in that group,” Manuel Epperson said. “That group could literally coach themselves. I wanted him to learn how to be a leader. Earlier this year, Ant sacrificed, as far as his points, to get these young guys involved.”

“That first year was a good experience, just to be a part of the winning culture,” Moreno added.

This season, Moreno has done a little bit of everything. He leads the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game. He leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7 per game, and is second on the team with 1.5 steals per game.

“I have been working to be an all-around player,” Moreno said. “Because there are going to be times where I have to be down low, and there are other times where I need to have the ball in my hands.”

Moreno even leads the team in blocks (24) and charges taken (15), stats that Epperson said show his basketball savvy.

“Usually I will go for the block if I am chasing,” Moreno said. “I know I can jump higher than the person I am chasing. When it’s a charge, I try to stay up high as long as possible, to see if the other player is out of control at all, and that’s how I determine if I will go for the charge.”

“For him to show the rest of the team, ‘Not only am I the best guy on the team, but I can take charges,’ that shows a lot,” Manuel Epperson added. “Because, a lot of times, your best offensive players aren’t going to rely on defense that much.”
Surrounding Moreno is a loaded junior class, supplemented with talented freshmen and sophomores. Junior guard Derik Medrano can also carry the offensive load, as evidenced by his 10.7 points per game. Junior guard Eric Garza brings the defensive presence on the perimeter, leading the team with 2.2 steals per game.

Garza will likely miss the game against Vets as he battles the flu, but the team is hoping he can return for the final two matchups.

And then there is Eddy. Eddy Epperson, the freshman guard and son of coach Epperson, has had an up-and-down season this year. He has broken into double-figure scoring four times, but he has been held scoreless five times.

“It’s been a fun journey,” the younger Epperson said. “I just have to keep looking forward. I just keep supporting my teammates.”

What he brings to the team is poise, good passing (he is tied for the team lead with 1.8 assists per game) and energy.

“He’s a little spark plug,” Manuel Epperson said of Eddy. “If he’s on the bench, he’s a cheerleader. And if he is on the floor, he gives it his all.”

A lot of the younger players on the team have been playing basketball together for years. This year alone, they played in summer leagues together, and they ran cross country together.

“We are a real tight team,” junior forward Carlos Bowen said. “We have a lot of chemistry. We hang around (each other) a lot. I don’t think that bond can ever be broken.”

That bond leads to a general enjoyment: enjoyment of the game, enjoyment of practice and even an enjoyment of being around each other after so many hours together.

On Monday, Moreno was asked if a certain group of players was developing into leaders.

“Yeah, they are,” Moreno said, before pausing to look at his teammates. “Except Bowen,” he chuckled.

“What?” Bowen retorted.

Bowen’s question was met with a chorus of laughter.

“No, Bowen is a great leader,” Moreno clarified. “He helps out a lot on defense.”

Eddy Epperson believes Moreno is the best big man in District 32-5A,
“No one can stop him,” Eddy Epperson said. “He’s an athletic post, and he is fast. He can shoot. No one can stop him.”

[email protected]

Valley HS boys basketball schedule

Monday’s Games
District 32-4A
Grulla 54, La Feria 53
Hidalgo 61, Zapata 36
Raymondville 58, Progreso 39
Rio Hondo 71, Port Isabel 68

Tuesday’s Games
District 30-6A
McAlle High at McAllen Rowe, 7:30 p.m.
La Joya High at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.
Mission High at La Joya Palmview, 7:30 p.m.
District 31-6A
PSJA North at Edinburg High, 6 p.m.
Edinburg North at PSJA High, 7:30 p.m.
Edinburg Vela at Edinburg Economedes, 7:30 p.m.
PSJA Southwest at PSJA Memorial, 7:30 p.m.
District 32-6A
Weslaco High at Los Fresnos, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville Hanna at Weslaco East, 7:30 p.m.
San Benito at Harlingen High, 7:30 p.m.
Harlingen South at Brownsville Rivera, 7:30 p.m.
District 31-5A
Sharyland Pioneer at Roma, 7 p.m.
Mission Veterans at Valley View, 7 p.m.
Laredo Martin at Laredo Nixon, 7 p.m.
Rio Grande City at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.
District 32-5A
Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Porter, 7:30 p.m
Mercedes at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville Veterans at Donna High, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville Pace at Brownsville Lopez, 7:30 p.m.
District 32-3A
Santa Rosa at Monte Alto, 7:30 p.m.
District 32-2A
San Perlita at San Isidro, 6 p.m.

Valley HS boys basketball box scores

Monday’s Games
District 32-4A
HIDALGO 61, ZAPATA 36
Zapata 6 13 4 13 — 36
Hidalgo 6 14 22 19 — 61
HIDALGO (61): Aaron Anaya 1, Alexis Gonzalez 5, Julio Zamorano 6, Moises Longoria 8, Gus Sanchez 12, Frankie Sanchez 11, Luis Toledano 2, Tony Frias 4, Saul Arjona 6, Carlos Zuniga 4, Charlie Vasquez 2.
Zapata (36): C.J. Garcia 2, P. Villarreal 10, M. Elizondo 4, A. Rodriguez 4, D. Chapa 3, F. Chapa 7, A. Turi 6.
RECORDS: Hidalgo 24-9, 12-0; Zapata 8-4.

RAYMONDVILLE 58, PROGRESO 39
Progreso 6 16 2 15 — 39
Raymondville 18 8 19 13 — 58
RAYMONDVILLE (58): Jaden Tagle 3, James Anderson 2, Jacob Posas 15, Aaron Castillo 7, Xavier Ledesma 9, Justin Noyola 4, Anthony Najera 2, Eliseo Cerda 10, Daniel Gutierrez 2, Rudy Ambriz 4.
PROGRESO (39): Alan Muñoz 6, Marc Martinez 10, Josh Garza 6, E. Rodriguez 1, Josh San Roman 3, Jose Zuniga 3, A.J. Aleman 6, Eddie Rodriguez 4.
RECORDS: Hidalgo 24-9, 12-0; Zapata 8-4.

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

McAllen Rowe 54, Mission High 42

McAllen High 76, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 61

McAllen Memorial 59, La Joya High 50

District 31-6A

Edinburg High 55, PSJA Southwest 37

Edinburg North 57, PSJA Memorial 51

Edinburg Vela 66, PSJA High 53

Edinburg Economedes 69, PSJA North 54

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos 70, Brownsville Rivera 54

Harlingen South 63, Weslaco East 31

Harlingen High 72, Brownsville Hanna 64

Weslaco High 82, San Benito 35

District 31-5A

Roma 59, Laredo Cigarroa 56

Laredo Martin 81, Sharyland Pioneer 56

Laredo Nixon 94, Valley View 27

Mission Veterans 88, Sharyland High 77

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa 59, Brownsville Lopez 49

Brownsville Porter 71, Mercedes 65

Brownsville Pace 71, Donna High 36

Brownsville Veterans 69, Donna North 33

District 32-4A

Grulla at Zapata, 8 p.m.

Hidalgo 65, Port Isabel 49

Rio Hondo 42, Progreso 39

District 32-3A

IDEA Frontier at Monte Alto, not reported

District 32-2A

Lasara at Santa Maria, not reported

San Perlita 67, La Villa 59

Non-District

Brownsville St. Joseph 73, Santa Rosa 55

Monday, Feb. 5

District 32-4A

La Feria at Grulla, 8 p.m.

Zapata at Hidalgo, 8 p.m.

Progreso at Raymondville, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 6

District 30-6A

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

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

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

District 31-6A

PSJA North at Edinburg High, 6 p.m.

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

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

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

District 32-6A

Weslaco High at Los Fresnos, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Hanna at Weslaco East, 7:30 p.m.

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

Harlingen South at Brownsville Rivera, 7:30 p.m.

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer at Roma, 7 p.m.

Mission Veterans at Valley View, 7 p.m.

Laredo Martin at Laredo Nixon, 7 p.m.

Rio Grande City at Sharyland High, 7 p.m.

District 32-5A

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

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

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

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

District 32-3A

Santa Rosa at Monte Alto, 7:30 p.m.

San Perlita at San Isidro, 6 p.m.

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Games

District 30-6A

McALLEN MEMORIAL 59, LA JOYA HIGH 50

McAllen Memorial 11 15 19 14 — 59

La Joya High 12 13 15 10 — 50

McALLEN MEMORIAL (59): Chris Flores 17, Ace Chavez 3, Chris Melendez 12, Josh Sanchez 17, Elian Reyna 10.

LA JOYA HIGH (50): Nick Garza 5, Ojay Saenz 12, Santiago Rodriguez 8, Alex Villarreal 9, Jose Garcia 2, Juztin Pulido 14.

District 31-6A

EDINBURG NORTH 57, PSJA MEMORIAL 51

PSJA Memorial 14 5 9 23 — 51

Edinburg North 13 15 19 10 — 57

EDINBURG NORTH (57): Jose Arteaga 2, Andrew Nunez 11, Felix Aleman 12, Izaiah Rangel 7, Ben Vela 7, Roel de Leon 2, Tony Beltran 2, Juan Vasquez 4, Ricky Alaniz 8, Cesar Noyola 2.

PSJA MEMORIAL (51): David Garner 5, Jared Koenig 2, JD Chavez 12, Horacio Cisneros 4, Victor Salgado 2, Ray Salinas 4, Adrian Rosales 22.

RECORDS: Edinburg North 9-2.

EDINBURG HIGH 55, PSJA SOUTHWEST 37

Edinburg High 12 7 21 15 — 55

PSJA Southwest 7 7 4 19 — 37

EDINBURG HIGH (55): Marc Figueroa 5, Damian Garcia 5, Matt Cruz 4, Jorge Hernandez 5, Antoine Woodard 15, John Carranco 2, Jalen Lee 9, Jesus Cantu 10.

PSJA SOUTHWEST (37): Omar Jimenez 6, Derek Cedillo 3, Rolando Cedillo 8, Orladno Torres 4, Juan Montes 10, Eddie Zuniga 5, Freddy Leon 1.

EDINBURG VELA 66, PSJA HIGH 53

PSJA High 17 13 9 14 — 53

Edinburg Vela 14 23 14 15 — 66

EDINBURG VELA (66): Matt Arteaga 7, Noah Sekinger 9, Trey Chavana 11, Nate Gomez 6, Austin Garza 11, Aziel Garcia 9, Bobby Espericueta 6, Josh Diaz 5, Vince Olivarez 2 .

PSJA HIGH (53): Jacob Laredo 2, Ryan Garza 1, Andrew Liszt 9, Isaiah Garcia 20, Nate Sanchez 10, Miguel Villarreal 6, Robby Garza 5.

District 31-5A

LAREDO MARTIN 81, SHARYLAND PIONEER 56

Laredo Martin 16 29 25 11 — 81

Sharyland Pioneer 4 16 17 19 — 56

LAREDO MARTIN (81): Austin Esteves 6, Luis Ortegon 27, Kevin Zamora 2, Ceser Rivera 13, Mathew Duron 4, Nelson Vasquez 29.

SHARYLAND PIONEER (56): Marcos Trevino 7, Cody Sanchez 5, Miguel Ramos 5, Miguel Angel Gonzalez 12, Luke Padilla 2, Nick Zieske 2, Ethan Lee 5, Geo Garza 7, Lavar Lindo 11.

MISSION VETERANS 88, SHARYLAND HIGH 77, OT

Sharyland High 16 14 13 17 17 — 77

Mission Veterans 16 16 16 12 28 — 88

MISSION VETERANS (88): Elijah de la Garza 33, Noe Cantu 28, Elias Ibarra 10, Homer Garza 10, J.T. Lerma 7.

SHARYLAND HGIH (77): Mauro Fernandez 42, Andres Abrego 8, Isai Heredia 7, Ernesto Robinson 5, Johnny Escamilla 4, Jonthan Flores 2, David Vela 2, Max Aguilar 7.

RECORDS: Mission Veterans 5-8.

District 32-5A

EDCOUCH-ELSA 59, BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ 49

Brownsville Lopez 6 21 33 49 — 49

Edcouch-Elsa 15 25 42 59 — 59

EDCOUCH-ELSA (59): Mateo Salazar 4, Jesus Diaz, Bryan Guerra 2, Dustin Rodriguez 23, Joseph Gonzalez 14, Marcos Escobar 15.

BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ (49): Hiram 10, Armando 15, Micheal 7, J.J. 6, Priciliano 3, Damian 8.

RECORDS: Edcouch-Elsa 15-16 , 8-3; Lopez 3-8.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

McALLEN — What was set up to be a dogfight for playoff position between McAllen High (16-13, 6-3) and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln (20-10, 5-4) and a matchup of two of the better big men in the Rio Grande Valley took a turn for the worse early on.

With 2:32 left in the first quarter, Juarez-Lincoln senior center Luis Garza caught the ball in the high post and drove the lane. Garza took a hard spill after being fouled and stayed down with an apparent ankle injury. Garza could not put weight on his leg and had to be helped off the court.

Garza leads the Huskies with 16.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

After the game, Huskies coach Albert Carillo said he wasn’t sure of the severity of the injury, but that further tests would be done today.

“That was a big loss for them,” McAllen High coach Ryan Flores said. “When he went down, that changed the whole aspect of the game. But give credit to Juarez-Lincoln, they still played hard, they still hustled, and they gave us a good game. You never want to see a great player like him, being a senior, go down in a contest like this when we are battling for playoff position.”

McAllen High rolled after the injury and came away with the 76-61 win on Friday night at McAllen High School.

“This win felt good,” senior forward DeShaun Primus said. “It’s what we came here to do. We protected our house. … I wish we could have gotten our bench in at the end to contribute to the win.”

With Garza out and the Huskies’ paint unprotected, the Bulldogs went to work. From the time Garza left the game until halftime, McHi junior forward Jaden Conrow scored 10 points, most of which came in the paint. Conrow finished with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds.

“Jaden is one of our better players,” Flores said. “He’s so athletic. He’s an inside-outside guy. He can do it all from the 3-point line, from the block, from the elbow. And, most importantly, the kid is still willing to learn.”

Primus also had a big game for the Bulldogs, posting 17 points and seven rebounds.

“I took advantage of the looks that I was given, and I think I executed them pretty well,” Primus said. “But, my teammates got me open also.”

Flores knows his team is talented, but he is hoping it can take the next step.

“I have a whole team that can handle the ball and can shoot the ball,” Flores said. “I want to play smart for all four quarters, every possession. Going back to earlier this week, we played McAllen Memorial. We had some mental breakdowns on a couple possessions, both offensively and defensively, that cost us that game. … I’m trying to tell the guys and keep them confident that we are one of the best teams in our district. Even though we may be in the third spot, I still think we can compete with and should have beaten some of the teams that are ahead of us. What I want to see is us playing a lot smarter, taking care of that basketball, and playing more team offense and defense.”

McHi showed flashes of that team mentality in the opening moments of the game. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-4 lead with four different players scoring in the first 5:20.

Once Garza went down, McHi really started clicking. In the closing moments of the third quarter, the Bulldogs built a 21-point lead.
Huskies senior forward Lalo Torres finished with a team-high 18 points, many of which came late in the game to keep the Huskies in it. Torres was very effective driving to his left, and his driving created enough room for him to step back and drop a few jumpers, as well.

“(Torres) has been playing great as of late,” Carillo said. “He’s been scoring double figures the past four games.”

The Huskies got the score to within 10 late in the fourth, but the Bulldogs’ Primus and junior guard Bryan Argil each hit some big shots down the stretch to put the game out of reach.

“I think we let up a little bit once we saw we had a lead,” Primus said. “We kind of got comfortable, but coach kept telling us not to get comfortable with the lead and keep fighting.”

McHi faces McAllen Rowe on Tuesday.

“That is going to be a big game for us,” Flores said. “They are undefeated in the district. We are fighting for playoff positions right now. I think we are sitting in third, Memorial is in second and Rowe is first. But if you want to move back up to the second spot, we have to have a good game against Nikki Rowe.”

[email protected]

RGVSports.com Top Ten
Team W-L Prev
1. Los Fresnos 27-5 1
2. McAllen Rowe 21-8 2
3. Edinburg Vela 17-13 3
4. Brownsville Pace 23-8 5
5. Edinburg High 24-9 4
6. Harlingen High 24-9 7
7. McAllen Memorial 22-8 8
8. Rio Grande City 20-9 9
9. Edcouch-Elsa 14-16 10
10. Weslaco High 22-8 NR

STANDINGS

District 30-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

McAllen Rowe 21 8 8 0 —

McAllen Memorial 22 8 7 2 2.5

McAllen High 15 13 5 3 3

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 20 10 5 4 4.5

La Joya High 11 20 2 6 6

La Joya Palmview 2 19 1 8 8.5

Mission High — — 1 8 8.5

District 31-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Edinburg Vela 17 13 9 1 —

Edinburg North 21 11 8 2 1

Edinburg High 24 9 7 3 2

Edinburg Economedes 23 11 7 3 2

PSJA Memorial 20 11 4 6 5

PSJA North 12 19 2 8 7

PSJA High 12 19 2 8 7

PSJA Southwest 4 19 1 9 8

District 32-6A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Los Fresnos 27 5 10 0 —

Brownsville Rivera 16 11 7 3 3

Harlingen High 24 9 6 4 4

Harlingen South 21 11 6 4 4

Weslaco High 22 8 6 4 4

San Benito — — 3 7 7

Weslaco East 7 23 1 9 9

Brownsville Hanna 13 18 1 9 9

District 31-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Laredo Nixon 26 5 12 0 —

Laredo Martin 16 13 10 2 2

Laredo Cigarroa — — 8 5 5.5

Rio Grande City 20 9 8 5 5.5

Roma 13 15 6 6 6

Sharyland Pioneer 12 15 5 7 7

Mission Veterans 15 16 4 8 8

Valley View 6 22 1 11 11

Sharyland High 7 22 2 11 11.5

District 32-5A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Brownsville Pace 23 8 10 0 —

Edcouch-Elsa 14 16 7 3 3

Donna High 11 15 6 4 4

Brownsville Porter 8 12 5 5 5

Mercedes 17 14 4 6 6

Brownsville Veterans 13 15 4 6 6

Brownsville Lopez 10 20 3 7 7

Donna North 1 26 0 10 10

District 32-4A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Hidalgo 22 9 10 0 —

Port Isabel 17 9 8 2 2

Zapata 13 15 7 3 3

La Feria 7 19 4 6 6

Grulla 10 18 3 6 6.5

Raymondville — — 2 6 7.5

Progreso — — 2 8 8

Rio Hondo — — — — —

District 32-3A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

Santa Rosa 12 9 4 0 —

Brownsville IDEA Frontier 18 6 3 2 1.5

Lyford 11 8 2 2 2

Edinburg IDEA Quest 3 18 0 4 4

Monte Alto 8 14 0 4 4

District 32-2A

Overall District

Team W L W L GB

San Perlita 12 14 4 0 —

San Isidro 23 4 4 1 .5

Santa Maria 6 10 2 2 2

Lasara — — 0 4 4

La Villa 10 10 1 4 4.5

Individual Statistics
POINTS
Name G Tot. Avg.
D. Galvan, PSJA North 29 777 26.8
D. Luna, McAllen Rowe 28 627 22.5
E. De La Garza, Mission Vets 26 492 18.9
M. Arrellano, Harlingen High 26 469 18.0
G. Elizondo, San Isidro 25 435 17.4
L. Garza, LJ Juarez-Lincoln 24 405 16.9
A. Woodard, Edinburg High 29 487 16.8
R. Nunez, Rio Grande City 27 453 16.7
N. Armstrong, Brownsville Hanna — — 16.2
G. Rivera, Weslaco East 11 178 16.2
M. Fernandez, Sharyland High 23 361 15.7
J. Ortega, Brownsville Pace 21 325 15.5
J. Pulido, La Joya High 30 470 15.7
J. Ovalle, Mercedes 29 422 14.6
N. Sekinger, Edinburg Vela 24 — 14.4
A. Carrizales, Los Fresnos 28 400 14.3
J. Sanchez, McAllen Memorial 22 313 14.2
D. Guerra, San Isidro 24 339 14.1
G. Garcia, Roma — — 13.8
C. Flores, McAllen Memorial 30 405 13.5
J. Urbina, Los Fresnos 28 374 13.4
G. Lowery, Harlingen South — — 13.4
J. Garza, Donna North 13 173 13.3
B. Lozoya, Mercedes 23 302 13.1
A. Moreno, Donna High 21 270 12.9
L. Alanis, Roma — — 12.7
J. Gonzalez, Edcouch-Elsa 27 342 12.7
A. Beltran, PSJA North 18 229 12.7
M. Maldonado, Grulla 26 329 12.7
M. Garza, San Isidro 24 303 12.6
J. Cantu, Edinburg High 30 376 12.5
G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 31 390 12.6
A. Briones, Harlingen South — — 12.5
G. Martinez, Los Fresnos 27 338 12.5
G. Garcia, Roma — — 12.3
C. Melendez, McAllen Memorial 30 369 12.3
D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 28 344 12.3
J. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 28 341 12.2
C. Garcia, B. St. Joseph — — 12.2
I. Garcia, PSJA High 27 330 12.2
B. Argil, McAllen High 28 339 12.1
C. Esteve, B. St. Joseph — — 12.1
E. Ibarra, Mission Veterans 25 300 12.0
M. Medrano, Weslaco East 11 132 12.0
C. Mendoza, LJ Juarez-Lincoln 24 288 12.0
J. Barrientos, Economedes 28 334 11.9
I. Rangel, Edinburg North 26 309 11.9
F. Aleman, Edinburg North 27 321 11.9
A. Nunez, Edinburg North 26 304 11.7
J. Vasquez, Harlingen High 25 292 11.7
N. Cantu, Mission Veterans 13 150 11.5
F. Gonzalez, Rio Grande City 26 299 11.5
J. Conrow, McAllen High 28 314 11.2
J. Rucoba, Brownsville Hanna — — 11.1
A. Marroquin, Rio Grande City 27 300 11.1
F. Sanchez, Hidalgo 31 344 11.1
C. Montelongo, La Joya High 28 305 10.9
D. Medrano, Donna High 21 228 10.9
M. Sesler, Harlingen High 26 283 10.9
D. Garcia, Edinburg High 30 322 10.7
C. Love, Harlingen South — — 10.7
J. Caballero, Edcouch-Elsa 26 275 10.6
R. Rodriguez, Valley View 10 — 10.4
V. Galvan, San Perlita — — 10.3
S. Pina, Economedes 19 193 10.2
J. Herrera, San Perlita — — 10.2
A. Sepulveda, Valley View 17 — 10.2
I. Gutierrez, Grulla 26 264 10.2
A. Salinas, Economedes 28 284 10.1
S. Turrubiates, Harlingen South — — 10.1
J. Castaneda, Mercedes 25 252 10.1
T. Rangel, Los Fresnos 28 276 9.9

REBOUNDS
Name G Tot. Avg.
L. Garza, LJ Juarez-Lincoln 24 294 12.3
G. Elizondo, San Isidro 25 305 12.2
J. Sanchez, McAllen Memorial 22 250 11.4
J. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 28 276 9.9
D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 28 260 9.3
L. Alanis, Roma — — 9.0
N. Sekinger, Edinburg Vela 24 — 8.9
J. Cantu, Edinburg High 30 263 8.8
J. Solis, Grulla 12 112 8.6
A. Carrizales, Los Fresnos 28 236 8.4
I. Rangel, Edinburg North 26 212 8.2
F. Ayala, Valley View 17 — 8.1
E. Ibarra, Mission Veterans 25 192 7.7
C. Arthur, Mercedes 27 207 7.7
A. Segovia, Grulla 24 182 7.6
A. Woodard, Edinburg High 29 217 7.5
L. Lindo, Sharyland Pioneer 18 134 7.4
R. Aguilar, Brownsville Pace 22 163 7.4
B. Bennett, Harlingen South — — 7.2
J. Conrow, McAllen High 28 200 7.1
D. Galvan, PSJA North 29 205 7.1
R. Nunez, Rio Grande City 27 191 7.1
D. Luna, McAllen Rowe 28 197 7.0
A. Moreno, Donna High 21 147 7.0
S. Arjona, Hidalgo 31 205 6.7
B. Lozoya, Mercedes 23 152 6.6
C. Trevino, B. St. Joseph — — 6.6
J.T. Lerma, Mission Veterans 26 163 6.5
A. Beltran, PSJA North 18 116 6.4
J. Rucoba, Brownsville Hanna — — 6.3
M. Sesler, Harlingen High 26 160 6.2
A. Marroquin, Rio Grande City 27 162 6.0
R. Garcia, Mission High — — 6.0
G. Rivera, Weslaco East 11 65 5.9
V. Campos, Brownsville Hanna — — 5.8
A. Salinas, Economedes 28 161 5.8
J. Ramos, PSJA High 26 149 5.7

ASSISTS
Name G Tot. Avg.
A. Bernal, McAllen Rowe 27 177 6.6
A. Salinas, Economedes 28 171 6.1
C. Mendoza, LJ Juarez-Lincoln 24 138 5.8
C. Flores, McAllen Memorial 30 178 5.9
J. Castaneda, Mercedes 25 134 5.4
J. Torre, Brownsville Hanna — — 5.4
D. Luna, McAllen Rowe 28 147 5.3
G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 31 159 5.1
M. Garza, San Isidro 24 119 5.0
J. Covarrubias, Rio Grande City 16 79 5.0
I. Garcia, PSJA High 27 128 4.7
A. Anaya, Hidalgo 31 132 4.3
V. Campos, Brownsville Hanna — — 4.2
C. Garcia, B. St. Joseph — — 4.2
A. Rodriguez, Roma — — 4.1
D. Galvan, PSJA North 29 119 4.1
T. Moronta, Mission High — — 4.0
E. De La Garza, Mission Vets 26 103 4.0
J. Urbina, Los Fresnos 28 105 3.8
N. Cantu, Mission Veterans 13 48 3.7
I. Gutierrez, Grulla 26 92 3.5
K. Money, B. St. Joseph — — 3.4
E. Ibarra, Mission Veterans 25 81 3.2
J. Sanchez, McAllen Memorial 22 73 3.3
A. Nunez, Edinburg North 26 81 3.1
B. Guerra, Edcouch-Elsa 27 83 3.1
J. Ortega, Brownsville Pace 21 66 3.1
D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 28 85 3.0
C. Melendez, McAllen Memorial 30 88 2.9
T. Chavana, Edinburg Vela 20 — 2.9
J. Solis, Grulla 13 38 2.9
M. Maldonado, Grulla 26 73 2.8
M. Ibarra, McAllen High 28 83 3.0
M. Arrellano, Harlingen High 26 72 2.8
B. Lozoya, Mercedes 23 64 2.7
P. Silvero, B. St. Joseph — — 2.7
A. Reyes, La Feria 20 53 2.7
C. Montelongo, La Joya High 28 72 2.6
O. Saenz, La Joya High 27 70 2.6
G. Martinez, Los Fresnos 27 68 2.5
F. Ayala, Valley View 17 — 2.5

STEALS
Name G Tot. Avg.
A. Bernal, McAllen Rowe 27 190 7.0
A. Salinas, Economedes 28 162 5.8
D. Everage, McAllen Rowe 28 137 4.9
J. Urbina, Los Fresnos 28 123 4.4
G. Sanchez, Hidalgo 31 121 3.9
J. Covarrubias, Rio Grande City 16 56 3.5
F. Sanchez, Hidalgo 31 105 3.4
D. Galvan, PSJA North 29 89 3.1
E. Ibarra, Mission Veterans 25 77 3.1
M. Garza, San Isidro 24 71 3.0
D. Luna, McAllen Rowe 28 85 3.0
A. Briones, Harlingen South — — 3.0
J. Yebra, McAllen Rowe 28 82 2.9
S. Arjona, Hidalgo 31 91 2.9
C. Garcia, B. St. Joseph — — 2.9
N. Cantu, Mission Veterans 13 36 2.8
A. Rodriguez, Roma — — 2.8
M. Arrellano, Harlingen High 26 71 2.7
I. Garcia, PSJA High 27 73 2.7
B. Lozoya, Mercedes 23 64 2.7
J. Castaneda, Mercedes 25 68 2.7
A. Marroquin, Rio Grande City 27 72 2.6
F. Gonzalez, Rio Grande City 26 67 2.6
D. Rodriguez, Edcouch-Elsa 27 61 2.3
C. Montelongo, La Joya High 28 64 2.3
E. Garza, Donna High 20 46 2.3
E. De La Garza, Mission Vets 26 58 2.3
A. Anaya, Hidalgo 31 72 2.3
P. Silvero, B. St. Joseph — — 2.1
I. Gutierrez, Grulla 26 51 2.0
D. Gonzalez, Roma — — 2.0
C. Flores, McAllen Memorial 30 56 1.9
J. Torre, Brownsville Hanna — — 1.9
A. Carrizales, Los Fresnos 26 50 1.9
F. Aleman, Edinburg North 27 50 1.9
L. Garza, LJ Juarez-Lincoln 24 42 1.8

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

Edinburg High got off to the perfect start this year. The Bobcats won two tournaments and then opened the District 31-6A season 6-0, looking like the favorites to win the district title.

Then, on Jan. 19, they suffered a close loss to rival Edinburg Vela. Suddenly, the invincible Bobcats looked human.

Edinburg got back on track with a big win over PSJA Memorial, but the last two games have been hard on the Bobcats.

“I think those two tough loses have kind of humbled us a little,” Edinburg coach Esequiel Cuellar said. “We reviewed them with our kids and watched film to talk to them about what we need to get better at. I think when you win so many consecutive games and then you get a loss here or there, sometimes those kids, of course, are going to feel those losses, but we will try to bounce back tomorrow and get back on the winning track.”

Edinburg High hosts PSJA North at 7:30 tonight. EHS finishes the season with games against Edinburg Economedes and Edinburg Vela.

The first of the two most recent losses for Edinburg High was to PSJA High on Jan. 26. The Bears used a smothering 2-3 zone to slow the Bobcats. But the Bobcats were also playing short-handed because junior forward Antoine Woodard was unavailable.

“We made some changes, and we usually don’t do that,” Cuellar said. “We had to move our point guard to the four, and we hadn’t done that too many times. That was kind of new, and then we worked on it afterward, but that kind of put a little damper on us. That was part of that loss.”

On Tuesday, Edinburg High played Edinburg North, and the Cougars came out on top 53-52. The Bobcats had a shot at the winning basket at the end of the game, but Cuellar said that miss wasn’t the reason they lost.

“We had 13 missed free throws in that game, and that was the main factor,” Cuellar said. “I know we had an open look at the end, but I don’t think that was the difference-maker. The difference-maker was we missed so many free throws. That put us in the bind of a close ball game, to the point where we had to settle for a shot at the last second. We make our free throws, it doesn’t get to that.”

Still, the Bobcats are 23-9 overall and 7-3 in district. They have slipped to second place, but they will still face the first-place SaberCats before the end of the season.

“We have been in this position before,” Cuellar said. “In the last two years, we have finished with the tougher opponents down the stretch. The last three games have been the tougher opponents, and we have been in this situation before. We are just trying to overcome that. I think last year, we lost the last two before we played our playoff game. We don’t want to be in that position again. We are trying to make them realize that you have to finish strong, so that if you get in the playoffs, you are on the right track. You have the right mentality of winning the games that you need to win.”

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