Valley boys basketball schedule

Monday, Nov. 27
Non-District
Roma 65, Zapata 58
Grulla 58, Mercedes 55
San Isidro 73, Monte Alto 41
San Perlita 71, Raymondville 55

Tuesday, Nov. 28
Non-District
Edcouch-Elsa at La Joya High, 7:30 p.m.
Edinburg High at Brownsville Rivera, 7:30 p.m.
McAllen High at Los Fresnos, 7:30 p.m.
PSJA High at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at San Benito, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville St. Joseph at Hidalgo, 8 p.m.
Sharyland Pioneer at Santa Rosa, 7:30 p.m.
Progreso at La Villa, 7:30 p.m.
Mission Veterans at PSJA Southwest, 7:30 p.m.
Macedonia at Valley View, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville Porter at Rio Grande City, 7 p.m.
Brownsville Frontier at Lasara, 7:30 p.m.
Rio Hondo at PSJA North, 7:30 p.m.
South TX Christian Academy at Mission High, 7 p.m.
Brownsville Pace at Harlingen High, 7:30 p.m.
Sharyland High at Brownsville Lopez, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 30-Dec. 2
Corpus Christi Tournament
Seguin Torunament
Rio Hondo Tournament
South San Tournament
Craig Smith Invitational, Edinburg
Santa Maria Tournament
San Isidro Tournament

Friday, Dec. 1
Non-District
PSJA High at Mercedes, 7:30 p.m.
Grulla at La Joya High, 7:30 p.m.
Los Fresnos at Brownsville Pace, 7:30 p.m.
Donna North at Port Isabel, 7:30 p.m.
PSJA Southwest at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.
Weslaco East at PSJA Memorial, 7 p.m.
Rio Grande City at Hidalgo, 7:30 p.m.
Harlingen High at Mission Veterans, 7:30 p.m.
Donna High at San Perlita, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville St. Joseph at Mission High, 7:30 p.m.

Valley boys basketball box scores

Monday,’s Games
Non-District
GRULLA 58, MERCEDES 55
Mercedes 13 8 16 18 — 55
Grulla 17 13 13 15 — 58
GRULLA (58): Tony Cardenas 13, Isaac Gutierrez 12, Miguel Flores 12, Anthony Segovia 9, Michael Maldonado 9, Aaron Salinas 3.
MERCEDES (55): Jordan Ovalle 27, Jared Castaneda 14, Jay Ayala 5, Matthew Ozuna 4, Josh Rodriguez 3.
RECORDS: Grulla 3-3.

ROMA 65, ZAPATA 58
Roma 16 21 7 21 — 65
Zapata 12 16 18 12 — 58
ROMA (65): Gilberto Garcia 14, Jesus Ramirez 13, Edgar Ayala 12, Cesar Contreras 7, Leonardo Alanis 6, Juan Gutierrez 5, Armando Rodriguez 4, Abe Garza 2, Tony Mejorado 2.
ZAPATA (58): Manny Elizondo 23, Trey Villarreal 14, Ryan Guerra 7, Alex Turi 6, Javy Rodriguez 4, David Chapa 4.
RECORDS: Roma 6-1.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Saturday, Nov. 25

Non-District

Roma 59, Hidalgo 57

TOURNAMENTS

Mission Tournament

Gold Bracket

Brownsville St. Joseph 55, Mercedes 30

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 67, PSJA North 53

Third-place

PSJA North 61, Mercedes 55

Championship

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 48, Brownsville St. Joseph 45

Silver Bracket

Mission Veterans 39, Valley View 37

Rio Grande City 50, Mission High 40

Third-place

Mission High 56, Valley View 52

Championship

Rio Grande City 41, Mission Veterans 40

Bronze Bracket

Sharyland High 59, Mission Veterans JV 17

Weslaco East 56, Weslaco IDEA 55

Third-place

Weslaco IDEA 63, Mission Veterans JV 36

Championship

Weslaco East 47, Sharyland High 44

All-tournament team

MVP: Cruz Mendoza, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Luis Garza, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Cesar Garcia, Brownsville St. Joseph

Camilo Trevino, Brownsville St. Joseph

Dante Galvan, PSJA North

Jared Castaneda, Mercedes

Aaron Marroquin, Rio Grande City

Elijah de la Garza, Mission Veterans

Yan Martinez, Mission High

Andres Sepulveda, Valley View

R.J. Lopez, Weslaco East

Border Olympics, Laredo

Laredo Martin High School

McAllen Memorial 62, SA Jefferson 52

Laredo Alexander 75, St. Augustine 48

Laredo LBJ 86, Laredo Cigarroa 70

SA Brennan 72, CC Moody 54

CC King 63, Edinburg High 62

Laredo Martin 49, Laredo United South 36

Edinburg High 74, CC Moody 57

SA Veterans Memorial 56, Eagle Pass 55

McAllen Memorial 62, SA Jefferson 52

McAllen Memorial 57, SA Veterans Memorial 50

SA Jefferson 62, Eagle Pass 42

SA Brennan 57, CC King 43

Fifth-place game

Laredo Alexander 52, Laredo LBJ 45

Third-place game

Laredo United 64, Laredo United South 44

Semifinal

Laredo Nixon 92, Laredo United 68

Laredo Martin 49, Laredo United South 36

Championship

Laredo Nixon def. Laredo Martin

All-tournament team

MVP: AJ Meléndez, Laredo Nixon

Neil Garcia, Laredo Nixon

LJ Herrera, Laredo Nixon

Luis Ortegon, Laredo Martin

Matt Duron, Laredo Martin

Andy Pompa, Laredo United

Marco Pena, Laredo Alexander

Jacari Sanders, SA Brennan

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Game

Non-District

ROMA 59, HIDALGO 57

Roma 11 18 14 16 — 59

Hidalgo 15 18 12 12 — 57

ROMA (59): Gilberto Garcia 21, Jesus Ramirez 12, Cesar Contreras 7, Noe Garza 7, Leonardo Alanis 6, Armando Rodriguez 6.

HIDALGO (57): Andy Flores 29, Tony Frias 9, Alexis Gonzalez 7, Gus Sanchez 5, Luis Toledano 3, Aaron Anaya 2, Frankie Sanez 2.

RECORDS: Roma 5-1; Hidalgo 2-1.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Friday, Nov. 24

NON-DISTRICT

McAllen Rowe 64, Edinburg North 55

PSJA High 90, Edcouch-Elsa 83, OT

Weslaco High 68, Edinburg Vela 48

La Joya High 60, Donna High 39

Raymondville 68, Lasara 55

PSJA Memorial 62, Brownsville Pace 55

Brownsville Lopez at Brownsville Hanna, not reported

TOURNAMENTS

Mission Tournament

Friday’s Games

Main gym

Mission Veterans 56, Mission Veterans JV 28

PSJA North 70, Mission High 41

Brownsville St. Joseph 62, Mission Veterans JV 24

PSJA North 85, Weslaco IDEA 66

Brownsville St. Joseph 44, Mission Veterans 24

Mission High 55, Weslaco IDEA 30

Secondary gym

Mercedes 46, Sharyland High 37

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 46, Rio Grande City 44

Valley View 42, Sharyland High 40

Rio Grande City 51, Weslaco East 50

Mercedes 67, Valley View 40

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 49, Weslaco East 38

Saturday’s Games

Gold Bracket

Brownsville St. Joseph vs. Mercedes, 9 a.m.

PSJA North vs. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 9 a.m.

Third-place

Brownsville St. Joseph-Mercedes loser vs. PSJA North-La Joya Juarez-Lincoln loser, 1:30 p.m.

Championship

Brownsville St. Joseph-Mercedes winner vs. PSJA North-La Joya Juarez-Lincoln winner, 4:30 p.m.

Silver Bracket

Mission Veterans vs. Valley View, 10:30 a.m.

Mission High vs. Rio Grande City, 10:30 a.m.

Third-place

Mission Veterans-Valley View loser vs. Mission High-Rio Grande City loser, 1:30 p.m.

Championship

Mission Veterans-Valley View winner vs. Mission High-Rio Grande City winner, 3:30 p.m.

Bronze Bracket

Mission Veterans JV vs. Sharyland High, noon

Weslaco IDEA vs. Weslaco East, noon

Third-place

Mission Veterans JV-Sharyland High loser vs. Weslaco IDEA-Weslaco East loser, 3 p.m.

Championship

Mission Veterans JV-Sharyland High winner vs. Weslaco IDEA-Weslaco East winner, 4:30 p.m.

Border Olympics, Laredo

Laredo Martin High School

G1: Laredo United 85, C.C. Moody 50

G2: Laredo Cigarroa 58, S.A. Veterans 46

G3: Laredo LBJ 66, SA Brennan 64

G4: Laredo Nixon 85, Eagle Pass 37

G5: Laredo Martin 57, Edinburg High 55

G6: Laredo Alexander 51, SA Jefferson 49

G7: Laredo United South 55, C.C. King 54

G8: St. Augustine 43, McAllen Memorial 41

G9: C.C. Moody 76, S.A. Veterans 52

G10: SA Brennan 51, Eagle Pass 32

G11: Edinburg High 59, SA Jefferson 49

G12: C.C. King 65, McAllen Memorial 54

G13: Laredo United 68, Laredo Cigarroa 48

G14: Laredo Nixon 85, Laredo LBJ 62

G15: Laredo Martin 70, Laredo Alexander 66

G16: Laredo United South 64, St. Augustine 47

Saturday, Nov. 25

Non-District

Roma at Hidalgo, 3 p.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Friday’s Game

Non-District

McALLEN ROWE 64, EDINBURG NORTH 55

McAllen Rowe 24 13 18 9 — 64

Edinburg North 14 18 10 13 — 55

McALLEN ROWE (64): D Salinas 7, J Yebra 7, Bautista 2, Mata 4, Luna 21, Everage 13, Galvan 4, Bernal 6.

EDINBURG NORTH (55): Andrew Nunez 5, Felix Aleman 21, Isaiah Rangel 14, Ben Vela 4, Juan Vasquez 3, Alec Cavazos 2, Cesar Morola 4, Demitri Pardo 2.

RECORDS: Edinburg North 1-3.

PSJA HIGH 90, EDCOUCH-ELSA 83, OT

PSJA High 14 31 18 17 10 – 90

Edcouch-Elsa 21 12 27 20 3 – 83

PSJA HIGH (90): Andrew Casas 18, Alex Hernandez 3, Victor Rangel 1, Isaiah Garcia 20, Jesus Ramos 18, Miguel Villarreal 20, Edwin Quintanilla 1, Said Dorado 2.

EDCOUCH-ELSA (83): Mateo Salazar 10, Jeramiah Caballero 25, Aaron Aguinaga 2, Bryan Guerra 8, Dustin Rodriguez 6, Joseph Gonzalez 13, Marin Rodriguez 12, Phillip Rendon 5, Justin Cavazos 1.

WESLACO HIGH 68, EDINBURG VELA 48

Weslaco High 17 17 20 14 – 68

Edinburg Vela 12 14 4 18 – 48

WESLACO HIGH (68): Safi Fino-A-LaSelf 13, Caleb Ybarra 6, Braxton Blooquist 15, Khalil Fino-A-LaSelf 3, Roly 4, Matthew Olmeda 1, Derek Cedeno 2, Jesus Payes 13, Isaiah Garcia 10.

EDINBURG VELA (48): Matthew Arteaga 8, Noah Sekinger 8, Nate Gomez 12, Austin 5, Jeremy 4, Bobby 7, Josh Diaz 3, Vince Olivarez 1.

SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

LAREDO — With Weslaco East down seven points in the first quarter, senior quarterback Richard LeFevre came to the sideline with a bit of a limp. He didn’t return for the remainder of the opening period.

“I just told Richard ‘It’s all right,’” senior wide receiver J.C. Vargas said. “‘Lets’ go, let’s get it taped up, and let’s get to it.’”

Fitting that Vargas was the one saying that, as he, too, is just coming back from an injury.

LeFevre recovered and fired back onto the field, leading his team to points and a lead. East never gave that advantage back and went on to win 21-18 over Laredo Alexander on Friday at the Laredo Student Activity Complex in the area round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs. East will once again face Cibolo Steele — the team East faced in last year’s third round — at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

“It feels good,” LeFevre said. “We get another week of football. Another day. It feels really good. It’s a blessing, to be honest, because more than 95 percent of the teams are out now, and we are still getting to put our helmets and our shoulder pads on now.”

Vargas and LeFevre were East’s main weapons on offense. LeFevre went 4-of-8 passing for 32 yards, and he carried the ball 19 times for 93 yards and a touchdown. Vargas had 115 rushing yards and two TDs.

“J.C. played quarterback off and on before he got hurt,” East coach Michael Burget said. “So, him coming back, it helped. And then we had a young man, Pedro Puente, come in (at quarterback) and take some snaps, and he did great when he was in there. He helped us move the ball. I have another QB, Danny Salinas, who was ready to go, so we have a bunch of people ready to go. We coach all of our kids. We don’t know who is going to get hurt week to week, so I am very proud of the kids’ effort they had. We traveled. We stayed overnight. They woke up. I guess we didn’t get the wake-up call, but we got it in the second half.”

Vargas opened East’s scoring when he broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run to tie the game on the first play of the second quarter.

Alexander added a field goal before the half, taking a 10-7 lead to the locker room.

The second half swung things for East. LeFevre attempted just one pass in the final 24 minutes. East held the ball, draining the clock and pounding the Alexander defense.

“LeFevre went into the locker room and said, ‘Coach, my knee does not hurt that bad,’” Burget said. “‘I want to run. Give me the ball.’ When that guy says that, I’m giving him the ball.”

His team has learned to expect that type of heroics from LeFevre.

“Richard should win MVP because of what he has done this year,” Vargas said. “We lost three of the stars, and Richard put the team on his back. He got the team to the playoffs.”

Vargas missed six games this season due to injury, and last season’s leading rusher, Roy Pedraza, has been sidelined by injury since September. Pedraza’s backup, senior running back Freddy Gonzales, also missed seven games this year.

Vargas isn’t the only one who thinks LeFevre deserves credit for helping the Wildcats persevere.

“He’s a big-time player,” Burget said. “If he is not the MVP of South Texas, I’ll be shocked. There aren’t too many quarterbacks that could — with the loses we have had — average about 45 points the last five games, by putting the offense on his back. I know people can argue better quarterbacks, but nobody has done more for his team than Richard LeFevre.”

All LeFevre asks in return is that the Wildcats believe, as he believes, that East can win next week.

“It would be a great feeling to go to a fourth round,” LeFevre said. “I think that would be the first time in school history. We want that as bad as ever. Getting that ‘W’ in the third round would be tremendous.”

[email protected]

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

LAREDO — From the moment Edinburg Vela received the ball to start the second half, the momentum had already begun to swing.

After needing a final-minute field goal to win last week, Vela was happy to take a four-point lead to the locker room on Friday. But the first drive of the second half proved to be the final blow.

Vela mounted an 11-play, 72-yard drive that lasted 5:12 and culminated in a 2-yard touchdown run from Nathan Garcia.

The score tipped the scales, and Vela earned the 28-10 win against Eagle Pass in the area round on Friday at the Laredo Student Activity Complex. Vela advanced to face Austin Westlake, which beat Smithson Valley 51-31 on Friday, in the Class 6A Region IV semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Ray Akins Wildcat Stadium in Portland.

“We are pleased,” first-year Vela coach John Campbell said. “That was a goal when we came in. Obviously, we had a late transition, but we felt like if we could get all the pieces in place and speed up the transition, we had the talent to get into the third round. We feel very fortunate that we are able to get that accomplished.”

After Garcia’s touchdown run opened the third quarter, Vela’s defense loomed large.

On Eagle Pass’ next possession, Vela senior defensive lineman Timothy Ellington notched back-to-back sacks to pin the Eagles deep for a punt.

Then, Vela punted the ball back to Eagle Pass, and junior quarterback Ricardo Luna completed a pass to Jose Riojas. Riojas was streaking down the middle of the field when Vela senior safety Nick Enriquez stripped the ball away from him. The ball bounced from player to player, with no one able to get a clean grip on it.

“That was a pretty dramatic one,” Campbell said. “I was standing on the sideline like, ‘Would somebody please pick up the ball? As long as they are wearing a blue jersey.’”

“What was going through my head was, ‘Get the ball no matter what,’” junior safety Daniel Enriquez said. “I kept track of it. Everybody was fumbling it. I took the initiative, and I picked it up and tried to put our offense in good field position.”

Enriquez followed a stellar bi-district performance with another standout game on Friday. On top of the fumble recovery, he also had a pick on the next Eagle Pass possession, which set up Vela for its final touchdown.

“Daniel has been that spark plug for us,” Campbell said. “He has a lot of athletic ability. He sometimes makes us hold our breath, freelancing a little bit, but at the same time, he makes plays all the time. Once again, he came up big.”

During a 34-32 win against Brownsville Hanna last week, Enriquez blocked a field goal, blocked an extra point, returned a punt for a touchdown and started the game with a big kickoff return.

Eagle Pass got on the board first with a field goal, but Vela responded with a 4-yard touchdown run from junior running back Aaron Alvarez.

Eagle Pass quickly answered, though, with an 11-yard touchdown reception by senior wide receiver Albert Guevara from Luna.

Vela scored the final blow of the half, a 9-yard pass from Garcia to Justin Cantu, who was waiting in the end zone.

Getting Cantu involved in the passing game was a major part of Vela’s offense on Friday. Garcia struggled out of the gates, airmailing a few easy passes and even missing a wide-open deep ball that would have been a touchdown. Once Garcia hit Cantu, he found his rhythm and grew comfortable.

“That was a big part of what we were able to do in this game plan,” Campbell said of Cantu and Garcia connecting often. “Once Nate and everybody kind of settled in, we were able to execute that.”

Garcia finished the game 21 for 33 for 208 yards and one passing touchdown, and he also ran for two touchdowns. Cantu finished with 12 catches for 127 yards and a score.

On the ground for the SaberCats, Alvarez had 59 yards and a touchdown, and senior Sam Valenzuela added 61 yards.

For Eagle Pass, senior running back DeeAndre Torres had 16 carries for 77 yards.

“He was running around us in the first half,” Enriquez said. “But, we drew up a game plan, and in the second half, we just dominated. In the secondary, we worked on our coverage and stopped them.”

Once Torres was limited, the Eagles became one-dimensional, relying heavily on Luna. Luna finished the night 21-of-31 passing for 153 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

With Austin Westlake on the horizon, Vela is looking forward to a tough test in the next round.

“I just tell our guys every week to go 1-0,” Enriquez said. “That’s what we did this week. Now onto the next.”

[email protected]

SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

EDINBURG — Last week against Brownsville Hanna, Edinburg Vela was down one point with less than one minute to play when senior Austin Garza stepped up to take 54-yard field goal.

“Everybody has been asking me what was going through my mind,” Garza said. “Before I got the call to kick, when there was five minutes left in the fourth quarter, I had a feeling I would have to kick it. So, I was thinking about everything that could go wrong and go right. When I got up there, I was just thinking about making it.”

Garza had never made a field goal that long before. The longest field goal he hit in practice was 53 yards.

“I couldn’t even look at the field goal,” senior quarterback Nathan Garcia said. “I was with (senior wide receiver Brandon) Guzman, and I couldn’t even look at it. I was on his shoulder and turning away.”

The kick went through the goal posts, and with room to spare.

“It was unbelievable,” senior center Diego Moreno said. “We lost like that last year. I know what pain that team is going through, and they worked very hard to get there.”

Last year, Vela faced Weslaco East in the bi-district round, and then-junior kicker Orlando Fuentes hit a 39-yard field goal as time expired to win the game for East.

This year, it was Vela who won on a late kick. Vela advanced to the area round, where it will face Eagle Pass at 2 p.m. today at the Student Activity Complex in Laredo.

“They have a lot of speed,” Garcia said. “They are really fast. They have height, and their linebackers have some good size. We will be ready. We will be good.”

The SaberCats’ offensive line will play a large part in dictating how Vela handles the speed and size of Eagle Pass’ defense.

“It gives us a chance to prove everybody wrong,” Moreno said. “I love proving people wrong.”

Moreno might not have the size of some of the other linemen — he is listed at 5-foot-8 and 210 pounds — but he plays a valuable part on the line.

“It’s a hard role,” Moreno said. “You have to know all the plays for each position, tell them what to do and know all the different fronts and all the linebackers’ keys.”

On either end of Moreno are the two tackles. Junior left tackle Jayden Borjas and senior right tackle Julio Cuello are the duo known as “Salt and Pepper.”

Borjas, a 6-foot-5, 280-pounder, and Cuello, a 6-foot-4, 280-pounder, are the anchors on the edge.

“I take a lot of pride in protecting the blind side,” Borjas said. “I know Nate trusts me. For him to get off those throws is everything for our team, so I’m glad he trusts me and I trust him.”

The line has been solid lately, but coming into the year, there were some doubts.

“They said the O-line wasn’t going to be that good this year because of the inexperience,” Borjas said. “But, we came through in the end. We feel like we improved a lot over the year.”

Depending on the rotation, two or three underclassmen usually play along the line, but the younger players have more than held their own. A lot of the credit for that goes to Scott Inskeep, Vela’s offensive line coach. Inskeep coached at Los Fresnos last year, and before that he played on the O-line for UTSA from 2010-14.

“On the first day he came in, he took over,” Borjas said. “He never looked back. He just wanted us to keep working hard.”

“Coach Inskeep is a good guy,” Moreno said. “He has a lot of good experience playing at UTSA, and he really focuses on technique and the pass block.”

The line’s ability to pass block has been a major advantage this season, as Vela’s pass-heavy attack has carried the team to the postseason.

Garcia has passed for 2,368 yards this year. He’s completed 24 touchdown passes and thrown just five interceptions.

“This line is amazing,” Garcia said. “All these years, we have had a really good O-line. Once again, we have another year of a very good O-line, very athletic. Very big, very strong, very smart, and they are really good.”

Cuello’s play this year has been noticed by coaches and scouts at the next level. He was rewarded for his effort with a trip to New Orleans for the Offense-Defense All American Bowl on Dec. 27-30.

“It’s amazing,” Borjas said. “Me and him, we hung out in the summer a lot, working hard. Going to camps and stuff. I’m just glad to see him succeeding, and I’m proud of him.”

Vela will need the line at top form to beat Eagle Pass today. The key to that may be the same pregame routine that has worked all year.

“Before every game, we always go eat together,” Borjas said. “Getting fat together. We love it, so that’s what we do. … Most of the time, we go to Olive Garden. They have that unlimited pasta deal. We like that.”

[email protected]

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Friday, Nov. 24

NON-DISTRICT

Lasara at Raymondville, 10:30 a.m.

Brownsville Pace at PSJA Memorial, 1 p.m.

PSJA High at Edcouch-Elsa, 1:30 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at Edinburg North, 2:30 p.m.

Weslaco High at Edinburg Vela, 3:30 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Brownsville Hanna, 3:30 p.m.

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

TOURNAMENTS

Mission Tournament

Friday’s Games

Main gym

Mission Veterans vs. Mission Veterans JV, 9 a.m.

Mission High vs. PSJA North, 10:30 a.m.

Mission Veterans JV vs. Brownsville St. Joseph, noon

PSJA North vs. Weslaco IDEA, 1:30 p.m.

Brownsville St. Joseph vs. Mission Veterans, 3 p.m.

Weslaco IDEA vs. Mission High, 4:30 p.m.

Secondary gym

Mercedes vs. Sharyland High, 9 a.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln vs. Rio Grande City, 10:30 a.m.

Sharyland High vs. Valley View, noon

Rio Grande City vs. Weslaco East, 1:30 p.m.

Mercedes vs. Valley View, 3 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln vs. Weslaco East, 4:30 p.m.

Border Olympics, Laredo

Laredo Martin High School

G1: Laredo United vs. C.C. Moody, 1 p.m.

G2: Laredo Cigarroa vs. C.C. Veterans, 2:30 p.m.

G3: Laredo LBJ vs. SA Brennan, 1 p.m.

G4: Laredo Nixon vs. Eagle Pass, 2:30 p.m.

G5: Laredo Martin vs. Edinburg High, 10 a.m.

G6: Laredo Alexander vs. SA Jefferson, 11:30 a.m.

G7: Laredo United South vs. C.C. King, 10 a.m.

G8: St. Augustine vs. McAllen Memorial, 11:30 a.m.

G9: Laredo United-C.C. Moody loser vs. Laredo Cigarroa-C.C. Veterans loser, 7 p.m.

G10: Laredo LBJ-SA Brennan loser vs. Laredo Nixon-Eagle Pass loser, 7 p.m.

G11: Laredo Martin-Edinburg High loser vs. Laredo Alexander-SA Jefferson loser, 4 p.m.

G12: Laredo United South-C.C. King loser vs. St. Augustine-McAllen Memorial loser, 4 p.m.

G13: Laredo United-C.C. Moody winner vs. Laredo Cigarroa-C.C. Veterans winner, 8:30 p.m.

G14: Laredo LBJ-SA Brennan winner vs. Laredo Nixon-Eagle Pass winner, 8:30 p.m.

G15: Laredo Martin-Edinburg High winner vs. Laredo Alexander-SA Jefferson winner, 5:30 p.m.

G16: Laredo United South-C.C. King winner vs. St. Augustine-McAllen Memorial winner, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 25

Non-District

Roma at Hidalgo, 3 p.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Nov. 21

Non-District

PSJA High 71, Brownsville Lopez 45

Harlingen South 58, McAllen High 52

Sharyland Pioneer 56, La Joya Palmview 36

Edinburg Economedes 84, Mission High 41

Edinburg High 66, Laredo Cigarroa 60

Weslaco High 58, La Joya High 52

Los Fresnos 66, McAllen Rowe 35

PSJA Memorial 55, Donna High 26

McAllen Memorial 59, San Benito 57, OT

Mercedes 61, La Feria 39

Laredo Alexander 87, Edinburg North 62

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 73, Brownsville Porter 58

Brownsville Hanna 48, Brownsville St. Joseph 33

Hidalgo at South TX Christian Academy, not reported

Progreso at Monte Alto, not reported

PSJA North at Brownsville Rivera, not reported

Friday, Nov. 24

Non-District

PSJA High at Edcouch-Elsa, 1:30 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at Edinburg North, 2:30 p.m.

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

Brownsville Pace at PSJA Memorial, 1 p.m.

Weslaco High at Edinburg Vela, 3:30 p.m.

Lasara at Raymondville, 10:30 a.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Brownsville Hanna, 3:30 p.m.

Mission Tournament

Friday’s Games

Main gym

Mission Veterans vs. Mission Veterans JV, 9 a.m.

Mission High vs. PSJA North, 10:30 a.m.

Mission Veterans JV vs. Brownsville St. Joseph, noon

PSJA North vs. Weslaco IDEA, 1:30 p.m.

Brownsville St. Joseph vs. Mission Veterans, 3 p.m.

Weslaco IDEA vs. Mission High, 4:30 p.m.

Secondary gym

Mercedes vs. Sharyland High, 9 a.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln vs. Rio Grande City, 10:30 a.m.

Sharyland High vs. Valley View, noon

Rio Grande City vs. Weslaco East, 1:30 p.m.

Mercedes vs. Valley View, 3 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln vs. Weslaco East, 4:30 p.m.

Border Olympics, Laredo

Edinburg High

McAllen Memorial

Laredo Nixon

Laredo Martin

Laredo Cigarroa

Saturday, Nov. 25

Non-District

Roma at Hidalgo, 3 p.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Games

Non-District

PSJA HIGH 71, BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ 45

1. 17 10 16 2 — 45

PSJA High 16 21 15 19 — 71

PSJA HIGH (71): Isaiah Garcia 24, Robbie Garza 22, Miguel Villarreal 9, Andrew Casas 6, Chuey Ramos 4, Edwin Quintanilla 2, Jesus Salinas 2, Nick Ruiz 2.

RECORDS: PSJA High 3-3.

SHARYLAND PIONEER 56, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 36

Pioneer 11 21 14 10 — 56

Palmview 7 13 9 7 — 36

SHARYLAND PIONEER (56): Miguel Angel Gonzaelz 12, Luke Padilla 11,Lavar Lindo 7, Mauricio Ramiro 7, Eddie Marburger 6, Cody Sanchez 5, Ramon Hernandez 4, Ethan Lee 2, Leo Salinas 2.

LA JOYA PALMVIEW (36): Alan Zarate 11, Paco de la O 8, Donte Olmeda 5, Fredy Flores 4, Irving Gomez 4, Gabriel garza 2, Gus Canales 2.

RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer 1-2, La Joya Palmview 0-3.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 84, MISSION HIGH 41

Mission High 10 8 9 14 — 41

Edinburg Econ. 26 24 24 10 — 84

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (84): Pete Segura 3, Omar Trevino 6, Jose Castillo 2, Angel Salinas 12, Johnathan Barrientos 26, Simon Pina 19, Aizar Cavazos 14, Ricardo Chapa 2.

MISSION HIGH (41): Eddie Rivera 6, Jaime Valdez 1, Yan Martinez 7, Juan Escobedo 5, Andy Martinez 4, Ray Garcia 3, Alek Gomez 5, Javi Gaitan 3, Louie Garcia 5.

RECORDS: Edinburg Economedes 3-0.

HARLINGEN SOUTH 58, McALLEN HIGH 52

Harlingen South 10 14 17 17 — 58

McAllen High 17 15 8 12 — 52

HARLINGEN SOUTH (58): Aaron Briones 8, Mito Velasquez 12, Mark Becerra 5, Grant Lowery 9, Chanz Love 4, Sean Turribiates 20.

McALLEN HIGH (52): Matthew Ibarra 8, Deshaun Primus 10, Rick Cuellar 3, Bryan Argil 11, Jaden Conrow 20.

RECORDS: McAllen High 1-1.

EDINBURG HIGH 66, LAREDO CIGARROA 60

Laredo Cigarroa 12 15 19 14 — 60

Edinburg High 19 9 21 17 — 66

EDINBURG HIGH (66): Marc Figueroa 9, Damien Garcia 10, Antoine Woodard 24, Fermin Ramos 6, Jesus Cantu 14, Matt Cruz 3.

RECORDS: Edinburg High 2-1.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

McALLEN — As a sophomore last year, McAllen High’s Jaden Conrow played in 30 games and averaged 5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

He spent most of last season behind the talented senior duo of Isayah West and Lalo Campos, who combined for 18.1 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.

“I learned a lot from them,” Conrow said. “I started a little bit of last year, and then I had to take a back seat and learn from them, because they were more experienced. I did learn a lot from those guys.”

Campos and West were in attendance Tuesday as McAllen High came up just short against Harlingen South 58-52 in a non-district game at McAllen High School.

In the loss, Conrow showed why he could be a game-changer this year, but also why he hasn’t yet cemented that role.

Conrow exploded out of the gates, scoring 9 points in the first quarter. He followed that up with a big second quarter.

With just under five minutes remaining in the half, Conrow found himself open on the left wing. He got the ball and dropped a 3-pointer. On the following defensive possession, he grabbed a rebound and started the break. Then, on the ensuing offensive possession, he was again open from deep and dropped another triple. The second shot put the Bulldogs up 26-18, but the run didn’t stop there. McHi got the lead up to 30-18 before Harlingen South recovered.

McHi was still up at the half, 32-24, but the Hawks charged into the second half with an intensity that the Bulldogs weren’t ready for.

“In that third quarter, we were a little lackadaisical,” McHi coach Ryan Flores said. “We didn’t come out hard in that third quarter. That’s where they got us and kind of took the momentum from us. They were able to make some shots in that second half. We had some breakdowns on defense that we need to clean up. That’s our second non-district game. I believe that is Harlingen South’s fourth. That’s what these games are for. We need to make adjustments and see what works. Overall, I think our boys played well. We just didn’t finish the game. We need to play all four quarters.”

Conrow finished the game with 20 points and 8 rebounds, but he was one of the McHi players affected by the second half malaise, scoring just two points in each of the third and fourth quarters.

“They pretty much shadowed me the whole game, but I feel like I defeated myself in that second half,” Conrow said. “I didn’t come out with the same energy I did in the first half.”

While Conrow was quick to take the blame, South made some adjustments at the break that slowed the versatile big man.

“I said, ‘You know, guys, he is knocking down some shots. Let’s make him put the ball on the floor a little bit. See if we can stay between him and the basket. Hopefully we can contest shots and come up with the rebound,’” South coach Brian Molina said. “I thought we did a good job of that in the third quarter.”

South’s third-quarter charge allowed the Hawks to even the score. The game was back and fourth from there, but with 4:56 left to play, South senior guard Aaron Briones was alone in the left corner. He got the kick and put up a 3. As the bucket fell, Briones was fouled.

“That felt like a dagger,” Conrow said.

Briones hit the free throw to bring South’s lead to 50-44 — an advantage the Hawks wouldn’t surrender.

“It was a huge momentum changer for us,” Molina said. “I think it gave us a little bit of breathing room. I thought as a team, everybody contributed, especially defensively. Aaron has obviously been starting for me for three years, and when we needed a big basket, he hit it.”

Conrow is still finding his role, and McHi’s short bench forced him to play all 32 minutes Tuesday. His potential for this season, though, remains sky high.

“Jaden is a great player,” Flores said. “He is an inside-outside type of player. He can hit from all over. The potential is there; he’s a junior. He’s still learning. Last year, he got some minutes. Now, he is getting more minutes. He needs to learn that sometimes there will be some different types of defensive schemes on him. We need to try to get him the ball more, though. I think that is what kind of slowed us down — that third quarter — they started pushing the ball on us and making some shots. We didn’t go inside as much as I wanted to.”

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VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Monday, Nov. 20

Non-District

Edcouch-Elsa 91, Santa Maria 53

Rio Grande City 52, Grulla 33

Lasara 61, Presbyterian Pan Am 25

San Isidro 78, Harvest Academy 30

Tuesday, Nov. 21

Non-District

Brownsville Lopez at PSJA High, 1:30 p.m.

Brownsville Porter at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 2:30 p.m.

Edinburg North at Laredo Alexander, 2:30 p.m.

Harlingen South at McAllen High, 2:30 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at Los Fresnos, 2:30 p.m.

Harlingen High at C.C. Veterans, 2:30 p.m.

Laredo Cigarroa at Edinburg High, 3:30 p.m.

Hidalgo at South TX Christian Academy, 3:30 p.m.

PSJA North at Brownsville Rivera, 3:30 p.m.

PSJA Memorial at Donna High, 4:30 p.m.

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

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

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

McAllen Memorial at San Benito, 7:30 p.m.

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

Mercedes at La Feria, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 24

Non-District

Lasara at Raymondville, 10:30 a.m.

Brownsville Pace at PSJA Memorial, 1 p.m.

PSJA High at Edcouch-Elsa, 1:30 p.m.

McAllen Rowe at Edinburg North, 2:30 p.m.

Weslaco High at Edinburg Vela, 3:30 p.m.

Brownsville Lopez at Brownsville Hanna, 3:30 p.m.

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

Nov. 24-25

Mission Tournament

Border Olympics, Laredo

Saturday, Nov. 25

Non-District

Roma at Hidalgo, 3 p.m.

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Monday’s Games

Non-District

EDCOUCH-ELSA 91, SANTA MARIA 53

Santa Maria 13 24 8 8 — 53

Edcouch-Elsa 17 29 28 17 — 91

EDCOUCH-ELSA (91): Joseph Gonzalez 28, Dustin Rodriguez 14, Jeramiah Caballero 12, Bryan Guerra 11, Phillip Redndon 10, Marcos Escobar 7, Marin Rodriguez 4, Aaron Auginaga 2, Justin Cavazos 2, Mateo Salazar 1.

SANTA MARIA (53): Enrique Cantu 13, Chris Villasana 9, Jimmy Mascorro 7, Abel Cantu 6, Giovanni Diaz 5, Cesar Orellana 4, Jose Villasana 4, Daniel Chavez 3, Albert Briones 2.

RECORDS: Not reported.

RIO GRANDE CITY 52, GRULLA 33

Grulla 3 15 7 8 — 33

Rio Grande City 13 14 12 13 — 52

RIO GRANDE CITY (52): Frank Gonzalez 13, Rodrigo Nunez 9, Mario Gonzalez 6, Raudel Solis 6, Aaron Garza 5, Aaron Marroquin 4, Jaime Covarrubias 3, Rudy Bazan 3, Josh Garcia 2, Izrael Lambert 1.

GRULLA (33): Miguel Flores 12, Ice 8, Aaron Salinas 5, Tony Cardenas 4, Michael Maldonado 2, Roly Montemayor 2.

RECORDS: Rio Grande City 6-0.