BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Coming into Tuesday’s game, Edinburg Vela senior guard Josh Diaz knew his ankle was a question mark.

He turned it in the SaberCats’ game against McAllen High on Saturday, and Vela coach Lucio Rodriguez said the chances were 90 percent he could not play. Still, Diaz wanted to be out there Tuesday as his team (6-4), which was ranked No. 1 in the preseason Top 10, faced off with No. 2 PSJA North (1-2).

“(Diaz) said let me give it a shot,” Rodriguez said. “We gave it a shot, and he was looking good. But he tweaked it again, and we brought him out, and that’s when our depth comes in. Nate (Gomez), Alex (Cantu), JD (Velasquez), they came in and did what we needed. There was no drop off when those guys came in.”

Vela was in control throughout and the SaberCats withstood a late rally from North to win 58-52 in non-district action at Edinburg Vela High School.

“We were really excited for this game,” Vela senior center Noah Sekinger said. “We have been prepping since Saturday, and then especially a lot yesterday and today in Athletics. We knew it was going to be a big crowd, playoff-like atmosphere. This is what we needed for this team.”

Sekinger was as dominant as dominant can get Tuesday, scoring 26 points as part of a double-double effort.

“He’s already known as one of the best posts,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just a matter of bringing it every night consistently. That was what we talked about; stay out of foul trouble, and we will get you the ball. He made some big free throws tonight.”

For PSJA North, Tuesday was the beginning of a journey. The starting five of sophomores Matthew Cantu and Elijah de la Garza, junior Iziaah Rangel, seniors Arturo Beltran and Daunte Galvan played as a unit of five for the first time Tuesday. Rangel and Beltran played in their first games after coming from the football team, which ended its season Friday. Rangel transferred from Edinburg North after last season, and de la Garza came from Mission Veterans this summer.

In an effort to build cohesion with the starting five, the Raiders did not substitute. The entire starting five played every minute of the game.

“I knew I would be going against Turi (Beltran) most of the night,” Sekinger said. “A lot of our game plan was to let Turi take most of the shots. Limit Iziaah, Elijah and Daunte’s shots. So our whole plan was let Turi get his shots. As long as we limit their main three guys. We did a good job of that tonight.”

Beltran was punishing for that strategy, as he scored 17, making five 3-pointers. But the added defensive focus slowed the big three. De la Garza had 6, Rangel had 13 and Galvan added 16.

“That is how we want to play every game,” Sekinger said. “We started to play that way in the second half against McHi, last game. We just want to D-up that hard against every team, because if we get some stops, get some steals, we will only allow them so many possessions. We will come out with the win every time.”

For Vela, junior Kaleb Coronado scored 9, Gomez had 6 and junior Austin Garza scored 2.

It was junior guard Bobby Espericueta who carried the load in Diaz’s absence. Espericueta scored 15.

“Bobby has been doing a lot,” Sekinger said. “He has been taking good shots, getting to the basket and getting fouled, creating for others and just helping us move the ball a lot better on offense.”

“You look at the positive. Some kids are able to play roles that they are not used to, when something like that happens,” Rodriguez said of Diaz’s injury. “And for Bobby to step up and do that, it speaks volumes to the team.”

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VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Nov. 27

Non-District

Edinburg Economedes 62, Harlingen South 49

PSJA High 68, PSJA Southwest 65

Donna High 57, Donna North 41

Mercedes 80, Grulla 37

McAllen High 56, Los Fresnos 52

Sharyland High 69, Browsnville Lopez 48

Edinburg High 51, Brownsville Rivera 39

Weslaco High 82, San Benito 20

Edinburg Vela 58, PSJA North 52

Port Isabel 75, Lyford 54

Brownsville Veterans 54, Rio Hondo 39

Edcouch-Elsa 56, La Joya High 46

Sharyland Pioneer 79, Santa Rosa 48

Hidalgo at Brownsville St. Joseph, not reported

Rio Grande City at Brownsville Porter, not reported

Zapata at Roma, not reported

Friday, Nov. 30

Non-District

PSJA Memorial at Weslaco East, 7:30 p.m.

Brownsville Pace at Los Fresnos, 7:30 p.m.

Grulla at Lyford, 8 p.m.

IDEA Weslaco Pike at Rio Hondo, 7:30 p.m.

PSJA Southwest at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 6 p.m.

Mission High at Bronwsville St. Joseph, 6 p.m.

Mission Veterans at Harlingen High, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29-Dec. 1

Tournaments

Seguin Tournament

Sharyland High

McAllen High

Roma

Sharyland Pioneer

San Isidro Tournament

Valley View

San Isidro

CCCA Tournament

La Joya High

PSJA High

La Joya Palmview

Laredo Border Olympics

PSJA North

Edinburg North

Edinburg High

Edinburg Economedes

Mercedes

South San Tournament

McAllen Rowe

Edcouch-Elsa

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Tuesday’s Game

Non-District

SHARYLAND HIGH 69, BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ 48

Bro. Lopez 12 8 15 13 — 48

Sharyland High 14 18 22 15 — 69

SHARYLAND HIGH (69): Nazier Moore 14, Johnny Escamilla 7, Maruo Fernandez 22, Isai Heredia 5, Andres Abrego 4, Andres Rubio 17.

BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ (48): Hiram Matovich 21, JC Sosa 3, Ozzy Gallegos 7, Angel Gonzalez 5, Angel Aguirre 5, Kevin Castaneda 2, Chris Reyes 2, Jose Sanchez 2, Pablo Galvan 1.

EDCOUCH-ELSA 56, LA JOYA HIGH 46

La Joya High 8 17 14 7 — 46

Edcouch-Elsa 17 9 21 9 — 56

EDCOUCH-ELSA (56): Marcos Escobar 15, Christian lira 4, Dillon Gomez 4, Aaron Aguinaga 9, Bryan Guerra 20, Damian Granados 2, Edward Saenz 2.

LA JOYA HIGH (46): J. Huerta 2, C. Villarreal 7, Trujillo 2, S. Rodriguez 14, M. Reyna 2, J. Longoria 5, J. Matos 6, G Urgeti 8.

RECORDS: Edcouch-Elsa 6-4.

MERCEDES 80, GRULLA 37

MERCEDES (80): Caleb Arthur 4, Alex Rincon 5, Justin Closner 11, Josh Rodriguez 7, Jared Castaneda 7, Jay Ayala 4, Jesse Fuentes 4, Jordan Ovalle 11, Brandon Lozoya 25, Horacio Pequeno 2.

RECORDS: Mercedes 8-0.

EDINBURG VELA 58, PSJA NORTH 52

PSJA North 11 10 11 20 — 52

Edinburg Vela 17 13 16 12 — 58

EDINBURG VELA (58): Noah Sekinger 26, Nate Gomez 6, Austin Garza 2, Kaleb Coronado 9, Bobby Espericueta 15.

PSJA NORTH (52): Arturo Beltran 17, Elijah de la Garza 6, Daunte Galvan 16, Iziaah Rangel 13.

RECORDS: Edinburg Vela 6-4, PSJA North 1-2.

McALLEN HIGH 56, LOS FRESNOS 52

Los Fresnos 13 12 14 13 — 52

McAllen High 16 9 16 15 — 56

McALLEN HIGH (56): Jaden Conrow 14, Matthew Ibarra 12, Jackson Helmcamp 11, Quinn Canada Jr. 8, Daniel Chiquito 5, Malachi Dames 1.

LOS FRESNOS (52): Ethan Gonzalez 14, Sebastian Szpak 7, Tyler Alvarez 5, Tony Aldrighetti 4, John Martinez 13, Josh Martinez 5, Ricky Altamirano 4.

RECORDS: McAllen High 3-1.

SHARYLAND PIONEER 79, SANTA ROSA 48

Santa Rosa 13 14 11 10 — 48

Shary. Pioneer 15 25 22 17 — 79

SHARYLAND PIONEER (79): Luke Padilla 13, Lavar Lindo 10, Aaron Cuevas 13.

EDINBURG HIGH 51, BROWNSVILLE RIVERA 39

Bro. Rivera 9 6 9 15 — 39

Edinburg High 18 11 11 11 — 51

EDINBURG HIGH (51): Marc Figueroa 3, John Carranco 6, Jorge Hernandez 8, Antoine Woodard 15, Fermin Ramos 9, Ricky Alaniz 5, Markus Pena 5.

RECORDS: Edinburg High 9-2.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 62, HARLINGEN SOUTH 49

Harlingen South 6 17 11 15 — 49

Ed. Economedes 12 14 26 10 — 62

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (62): Angel Salinas 22, Albert Guerra 8, Rick Chapa 8, Saul Alaniz 12, Michael Barrientos 12.

HARLINGEN SOUTH (49): Joe Cortez 17, Mito Velasquez 2, Mark Belgara 5, Grant Lowery 11, Alex Rodriguez 10, Carlos Reyes 4.

RECORDS: Edinburg Economedes 4-1.

PSJA HIGH 68, PSJA SOUTHWEST 65

PSJA High 19 20 21 8 — 68

PSJA Southwest 15 19 13 18 — 65

PSJA HIGH (68): Andrew Casas 7, Markus Garza 2, Ethan Castillo 2, Bradnon Lopez 1, Daniel Pena 2, Victor Rangel 5, Jesus Salinas 16, Chuy Ramos 2, Juan Rodriguez 7, Miguel Villarreal 24.

PSJA SOUTHWEST (65): Omar Jimenez 15, Derek Cedillo 5, Dawrelle Robinson 18, Carlos Hernandez 4, JR Garcia 16, Juan Montes 7.

Valley HS boys basketball schedule

Monday, Nov. 26
Non-District
San Perlita 94, Raymondville 51
McAllen Rowe 65, Edinburg North 52
San Isidro 100, Edinburg IDEA Quest 66

Tuesday, Nov. 27
Non-District
Browsnville Lopez at Sharyland High, 7:30 p.m.
La Joya High at Edcouch-Elsa, 7:30 p.m.
Hidalgo at Brownsville St. Joseph, 7:30 p.m.
Los Fresnos at McAllen High, 7:30 p.m.
Grulla at Mercedes, 6:30 p.m.
Rio Grande City at Brownsville Porter, 7 p.m.
PSJA North at Edinburg Vela, 7:30 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Brownsville Veterans, 7:30 p.m.
PSJA High at PSJA Southwest, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville Rivera at Edinburg High, 7:30 p.m.
Harlingen South at Edinburg Economedes, 7:30 p.m.
San Benito at Weslaco High, 7:30 p.m.
Zapata at Roma, 7:30 p.m.
Santa Rosa at Sharyland Pioneer, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 30
Non-District
PSJA Memorial at Weslaco East, 7:30 p.m.
Brownsville Pace at Los Fresnos, 7:30 p.m.
Grulla at Lyford, 8 p.m.
IDEA Weslaco Pike at Rio Hondo, 7:30 p.m.
PSJA Southwest at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 6 p.m.
Mission High at Bronwsville St. Joseph, 6 p.m.
Mission Veterans at Harlingen High, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29-Dec. 1
Tournaments
Seguin Tournament
Sharyland High
McAllen High
Roma
Sharyland Pioneer
San Isidro Tournament
Valley View
San Isidro
CCCA Tournament
La Joya High
PSJA High
La Joya Palmview
Laredo Border Olympics
PSJA North
Edinburg North
Edinburg High
Edinburg Economedes
South San Tournament
McAllen Rowe
Edcouch-Elsa

Valley HS boys basketball box scores

Monday’s Games
Non-District
San Perlita 94, Raymondville 51
San Perlita 28 29 18 19 — 94
Raymondville 11 19 15 6 — 51
SAN PERLITA (94): E. Nieto 17, J. Howell 3, B. Herrera 3, J. Herrera 15, J. Herrera 13, T. Johnson 31, E. Terry 10.
RAYMONDVILLE (51): Joseph Rivas 11, Mario Alfaro 2, Aaron Castillo 6, Xavier Ledesma 12, Juan Rosas 6, Christian Saravia 4, Ethan Moreno 12.

McAllen Rowe 65, Edinburg North 52
McALLEN ROWE (65): Mark Medrano 15, Adrian Salinas 12, Tristan Mata 2, Darrin Everage 13, John Galan 18, Gustavo Cruz 4.

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Saturday’s Games

Non-District

Edinburg North 90, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 43

Edinburg Vela 46, McAllen High 35

Hidalgo 48, Roma 38

Brownsville St. Joseph 65, Jubilee Brownsville 47

Brownsville Veterans 69, Brownsville Rivera 40

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Saturday’s Games

Non-District

EDINBURG NORTH 90, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 43

La Joya JL 16 14 4 9 — 43

Ed. North 28 24 19 19 — 90

EDINBURG NORTH (90): Aldo Reta 17, Ethan Garcia 15, Frank Sumaya 11, Sergio Quintanilla 10, Juan Vasquez 10, Moises Garza 7, David Gutierrez 5, Ivan Garza 4, Dimitri Prado 4, Noah Chavanna 3, Carlos Rodriguez 2, Juan Garza 2.

LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN (43): Gerson Ramos 11, Adan Torres 9, Fernando Gonzalez 9, Jesus Garcia 5, Robert Villasana 5, Luis Garza 2, Juan Lemus 2.

EDINBURG VELA 46, McALLEN HIGH 35

McAllen High 13 13 6 3 — 35

Edinburg Vela 16 12 13 5 — 46

EDINBURG VELA (46): Noah Sekinger 18, Josh Diaz 9, Kaleb Coronado 6, Austin Garza 5, Nate Gomez 3, Bobby Espericueta 3, Alex Cantu 2.

McALLEN HIGH (35): Matthew Ibarra 12, Jaden Conrow 9, Jackson Helmcamp 6, Dylan Suarez 3, Eric Ruiz 2, Quinn Canada Jr. 2, Malachi Dames 1.

HIDALGO 48, ROMA 38

Hidalgo 15 11 12 10 — 48

Roma 11 8 8 11 — 38

HIDALGO (48): Andy Flores 12, Luis Toledano 11, Saul Arjona 9, Gus Sanchez 6, Moises Longoria 6, Alexis Gonzalez 4.

ROMA (38): Edward Garza 11, Antonio Mejorado 7, Juan Gutierrez 6, Abraham Gonzalez 5, Carlos Rios 4, Ricky Hernandez 3, Gerardo Cortez 2.

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Mission Thanksgiving Classic

Friday’s Games

At Eagle Gym

Mercedes 71, Mission High JV 40

Weslaco East 62, Lyford 41

Hope def. Mission High JV

At Neuhaus Gym

Shayrland High 43, Hope 33

Rio Grande City 52, IDEA Weslaco 44

Mercedes 69, Mission Veterans 44

Lyford def. IDEA Weslaco

Sharyland High 65, Mission High 63

Saturday’s Games

Consolation Bracket

IDEA Weslaco def. Mission High JV

Mission High def. Lyford

Mission Veterans 74, Hope 26

Lyford def. Hope

Consolation Championship

Mission High 73, Mission Veterans 45

Championship Bracket

Mercedes 59, Rio Grande City 54

Sharyland High 56, Weslaco East 51

Third-place game

Rio Grande City 66, Weslaco East 56

Championship game

Mercedes 71,Sharyland High 50

All-Tournament team

MVP-Caleb Arthur, Mercedes

Jared Castaneda, Mercedes

Mauro Fernandez, Sharyland High

Jaime Covarrubias, Rio Grande City

Gabriel Rivera, Weslaco East

Louie Garcia, Mission High

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

SAN ANTONIO — The Weslaco High Panthers are back into the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

In their second year under coach Michael Salinas, the Panthers had to fight to top a tough Laredo United team 30-14 on Friday at Dub Farris Stadium in San Antonio in a Class 6A DI Area Round playoff game.

“Our defense has tended to keep us in a lot of games this year,” junior quarterback Jacob Cavazos said. “They did that again in the first half. We told them to trust us in the second half, we were going to come out strong. And we did. Linemen did a hell of job all game long.”

The Panthers dominated the field position battle early, moving the ball with ease, but the first few drives fizzled with punts. United also struggled to get going.

United struck first, in the second quarter. Junior quarterback Wayo Huerta dropped a dime to sophomore receiver Robert Sanchez for a 23-yard touchdown. It was one of just a few mistakes for the Panthers’ defense, which was dominant from start to finish.

“The defense did a great job tonight,” Weslaco coach Michael Salinas said. “I thought they were resilient. I though they bent, but didn’t break. I thought they kept battling. You play an offense like this, and a David Sanchez ballclub, they will get some yards on you. I am just really proud of our guys for keeping them out of the end zone.”

The Panthers were still struggling to find a rhythm on offense and had to punt yet again.

With the offense backed up to a fourth-and-nine from their own 39, the Panthers were in punt formation. As Weslaco junior quarterback Jacob Cavazos received the deep snap for the punt, his eyes remained up field. He saw senior safety Raul Camarena streaking down the middle of the field with no United players in sight. Cavazos launched a bomb Camarena’s way, and the defensive player hauled in the pass.

“I was like I gotta score baby, I gotta score,” Camarena said. “This is what we do it for, for moments like this.”

Camarena beat the return man, and charged into the end zone.

“That was big. (Camarena) has never scored a touchdown in his life. He finally scored in a big-time game,” senior linebacker Seth Sanchez said. “I think it was the turning point, because they scored early, and they were moving the ball. We stopped them a couple times, but they were stopping us too.”

The Panthers have been working on plays all year that have yet to see the light of day. In fact, Camarena knew the play so well, he knew it would work from the first time Weslaco punted.

“There was a lot of space, and (special teams) coach (Roy) Stroman already knew that play was going to be there, from watching film,” Camarena said. “No team has seen our fakes, because we never run it. This was the perfect time to run it, and we executed it.”

“We punted a few times, so we had gotten a look at how they line up,” Salinas said. “We got a nod on the sideline, they asked me if I wanted to run it, and our guys have done a great job of implementing it and studying film, and fortunately it was there.”

The momentum was now fully back with the Panthers. They could feel the energy in the locker room.

“(United) were athletic up front, so we had to make some adjustments at halftime, and figure out how we wanted to do certain things to counter their athleticism,” Salinas said. “I thought we needed to run harder, and we came out in the second half and did that. We grinded out some first downs and we were able to get the points on the board when we needed to.”

To start the second half, United had the ball on second down, when Weslaco senior linebacker Jacob Balli recovered a United fumble and ran it back into the end zone.

That was the first of three third-quarter scores for the Panthers. Once the Panthers got going, United never got back into the game.

Cavazos and senior running back Jeremy Coronado each had rushing touchdowns and senior kicker George Martinez hit a 38-yard field goal to get the Panthers up to 30.

Seth Sanchez made sure the game was over by recording back-to-back sacks and force the Longhorns to give the Panthers the ball back, one last time.

Cavazos took a knee as time expired to seal the win.

“This win means a ton to us as a staff, because of all the work the kids have put in,” Salinas said. “I am extremely proud of them for sticking with it and being resilient. This was a goal we had in mind, so our seniors are leaving a mark.”

And the young man who scored for the first time in his life to lift the Panthers to victory in a pivotal playoff matchup, he had tears in his eyes discussing what this win meant to the Panthers.

“This feels amazing,” Camarena said. “This was the plan, and we executed it the right way. It didn’t go the right way in the first half, but we went into halftime and adjusted the plan, and came out and executed in the second half.

“It means a lot. Me and my brother have come a long way. We are just proud to be here and help our team out, because it is not about us, it is about the team. I’m happy we made the decision to play football, because we were not going to play, but I’m glad the coaches and players welcomed us into the team.”

Weslaco High moves on to face Austin Lake Travis, who defeated San Antonio Madison 56-35, next Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Alamodome, back in San Antonio

“They are a great football team,” Salinas said. “They beat a really good Madison team. So, we are going to have our hands full. But we will work hard this week to get ready and give it our best shot.”

[email protected]

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

LA VILLA — Rey translates to king in Spanish.

That’s good name for senior quarterback Rey Felix, who has taken the kingdom of La Villa to new heights.

Growing up in a family of seven, there was always a game going on at the Felix household.

“We would always go outside and compete,” Felix said. “I would have my cousins come over. There would be at least 10 of us there. We would play basketball, football, anything. Just to have fun and compete against each other.”

In a small town, everyone knew each other, including the Felix family. Neighborhood friends would join the games at home, and the Felix boys would also head to the youth center to take part in games.

Sophomore Damien is a running back and safety for La Villa. After Rey graduates this year, Damien wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps and play quarterback.

“We play catch a lot,” Damien said. “Obviously, my arm is not as strong as his, but I want to be a leader for this team, especially with so many seniors graduating.”

And the younger Felix brothers Brandon, who is in middle school, and Isaiah, who is even younger, both play quarterback now.

The Cardinals have a quarterback family dynasty on their hands, and it could change the fate of La Villa football.

For now, though, the Felix brothers and the rest of the Cardinals are zeroed in on their game against the Granger Lions at 7 tonight at Aggie Field in Poteet.

“It will just take hard work,” Rey said. “It’s all about not being nervous. I know some of the younger guys might get nervous, but I tell them not to be scared; you will get laid out eventually, it happens to everyone. I just tell them to get back up and keep going.”

Last year, Zach Gomez transferred to La Villa from Mercedes. He changed the game for Daniel Perez, then a first-year coach.

Rey was unselfish, volunteering to move to running back to make way for Gomez. Perez said at the time that he would not have made Gomez the quarterback, had Rey not been OK with it.

The time playing at running back changed how Rey played the game.

“It helped me out,” Rey said. “Now as a quarterback, I am able to move faster, since I played running back last year. I have more experience running the ball. It is a lot easier for me to run, because I know what to do, I know where to expect the holes. I have a vision of the field that I didn’t have before.”

That was big for Felix, because it allowed the Cardinals to play to their strength this year, quite literally.

“We work out everyday, and it helps us a lot,” Rey said. “We are more physical than most of the teams we play, because of DP (Perez). He pushes us to work harder. He told us to go 100 percent all the time, and we always do. It helps because, in the fourth quarter, other teams start to get tired, but we are still good to go.”

That was the case in the Cardinals’ bi-district playoff game against Runge.

The Cardinals lined up in their power formation and pounded the ball all night. Runge gained a lead at a few points throughout the game, but when the fourth quarter came, La Villa was the fresher team with more energy, propelling them to put the game away.

Granger presents a bigger test. The Lions are 10-1, and they are strong on both side of the ball.

“They run a 50 defense,” Rey said. “We added new formations. Hopefully, they can help us out. On offense, they run a wishbone, and they pass quite a bit also. Our DBs and safeties are going to have to be on point, and our defensive line will have to control the line of scrimmage.

“Our community always supports us. They love to come out for games on Friday night. We just want to reward them for all of their support and give them a season to remember, especially because it is my senior year.”

[email protected]

VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Monday, Nov. 19

Non-District

Edinburg High 71, PSJA Southwest 59

Edcouch-Elsa 78, Santa Maria 58

Tuesday, Nov. 20

Non-District

La Joya High 70, Grulla 53

Mercedes 67, La Feria 38

Hidalgo 98, Weslaco IDEA Pike 31

Los Fresnos 65, Mission Veterans 60

Weslaco High 96, Brownsville Rivera 45

McAllen High 77, Harlingen South 68

Weslaco East 63, Bronwsville Hanna 44

PSJA North 81, Brownsville Pace 51

Laredo Alexander 69, Edinburg North 52

La Joya Palmview 49, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 36

Brownsville Veterans 48, Rio Grande City 37

Mission High 52, Edinburg Economedes 45

Raymondville at Lyford, not reported

Wednesday, Nov. 21

Non-District

San Isidro 62, Valley View 61

Hidalgo 74, Laredo LBJ 72

Friday, Nov. 23

Non-District

La Joya Palmview at Brownsville Hanna, 7:30 p.m.

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

McAllen Rowe at C.C. Miller, 2 p.m.

Lasara at Raymondville, 10:30 a.m.

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

Saturday, Nov. 24

Non-District

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at Edinburg North, 2:30 p.m.

McAllen High at Edinburg Vela, 4 p.m.

Hidalgo at Roma, 3 p.m.

TOURNAMENTS

Nov. 23-24

Mission Classic

Mission Veterans

Mission High

Weslaco East

Rio Grande City

Edinburg North

Sharyland High

Mercedes

VALLEY HS BOYS BASKETBALL BOX SCORES

Wednesday’s Game

Non-District

SAN ISIDRO 62, VALLEY VIEW 61

San Isidro 20 14 12 16 — 62

Valley View 16 12 15 18 — 61

SAN ISIDRO (62): Marco Garza 22, Elizondo 18, Galvan 8, Reyes 8, Delgado 3, Flores 2, Lucio 1.

VALLEY VIEW (61): Alan Fuentes 16, Andres Sepulveda 10, Jose Solis 7, Javier Lopez 7, Kevan Diaz 6, Miguel Flores 6, Erick Trevino 3, Deion Ortegon 3, Abraham Villaviencio 2, Isaac Lira 1.

RECORDS: Valley View 3-3.

HIDALGO 74, LAREDO LBJ 72

Laredo LBJ 21 18 17 16 — 72

Hidalgo 20 24 20 10 — 74

HIDALGO (74): Andy Flores 15, Alexis Gonzalez 10, Gus Sanchez 20, Luis Toledano 6, Moises Longoria 6, Julio Zamorrano 3, Saul Arjona 11, Kyle Davila 3.

LAREDO LBJ (72): Osvaldo Garza 13, Ramon Anguiano 2, Eddie Jaime 8, Chris Merino 18, Ivan Medina 8, Carlos Argulo 5, Evelio Rodriguez 2, Carlos Rodriguez 2, Ismael Benavides 14.

Tuesday’s Game

Non-District

LA JOYA HIGH 70, GRULLA 53

La Joya High 23 17 16 14 — 70

Grulla 13 14 14 12 — 53

LA JOYA HIGH (70): Cesar Villarreal 5, Juan Trujillo 8, Santiago Rodriguez 5, Michael Reyna 3, Leo Gonzalez 2, Jason Longoria 5, Daniel Bedolla 4, Jeans Matos 5, Jose Garcia 2, JC Barrientos 14, Gilbert Uresti 10, Jesus Huerta 5.

Grulla (45): Marcos Escott 9, Rolando Montemayor 8, Jared Gomez 2, Chris Salinas 12, Greg Garza 4, Deion Ozuna 2, Dillen Salinas 2, Alonzo Cardenas 2, Ricky Slauenwhite 1.

RECORDS: La Joya High 4-5.

MISSION HIGH 52, EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 45

Econ. 8 10 13 14 — 45

Mission High 17 12 5 18 — 52

MISSION HIGH (52): Eddie Rivero 15, Tito Moronta 6, Deandre Sifuentes 3, Andy Martinez 5, Rey Garcia 6, Martin Vasquez 6, Jahel Salinas 9, Louie Garcia 2.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES (45): Albert Guerra 2, Trini Moreno 12, Angel Slainas 13, Saul Alanis 9, Ricardo Chapa 9.

PSJA NORTH 81, BRONWSVILLE PACE 51

B. Pace 11 11 9 20 — 51

PSJA North 16 17 24 24 — 81

PSJA NORTH (81): Matthew Cantu 4, Fernie Salazar 2, Ricky Garcia 3, Daunte Galvan 31, Elijah de la Garza 39.

BROWNSVILLE PACE (51): Alexander Agado 1, Cristian Guajardo 7, Emilio Padron 9, AJ Anzaldua 5, Elias Fortaneli 2, Dom Diaz 3, Baltazar Hinojosa 4, Jose Luis Lozoya 8, Jaylynn Garcia 5, Matthew Cuellar 4, Rufa Recio 3.

RECORDS: PSJA North 1-1.

LOS FRESNOS 65, MISSION VETERANS 60

Los Fresnos 15 16 19 15 — 65

Mission Vets 11 11 11 27 — 60

MISSION VETERANS (60): Noe Cantu 35, JT Lerma 3, Josue Muniz 17.

RECORDS: Mission Veterans 4-5.

MERCEDES 67, LA FERIA 38

Mercedes 22 11 26 8 — 67

La Feria 10 13 3 12 — 38

MERCEDES (67): Caleb Arthur 9, Justin Closner 7, Josh Rodriguez 3, Jared Casteneda 4, Jay Ayala 4, Joseph Richa 2, Jesse Fuentes 4, Jordan Ovalle 10, Brandon Lozoya 18, Horacio Pequeno 6.

RECORDS: Mercedes 3-0.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — On paper, the PSJA North Raiders look like the Valley’s Golden State Warriors.

A lot of that is just on paper for now, though.

“It is an exciting time for PSJA North and it is an exciting time for (football) coach (Marcus) Kaufmann,” PSJA North basketball coach Jaime Gongora said. “It is exciting to see all of our basketball kids supporting the process that is going on at our school. Coach Kaufmann has transformed this school. We are really excited for him.”

The Raiders’ football team has charged through a new district to capture a playoff spot and win their first-round matchup. PSJA North will face San Benito in the area round at 2 p.m. Friday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

In the meantime, the basketball team is without a few key pieces.

“(Senior) Iziaah (Rangel) is one of the premier players in our area,” Gongora said.

Along with the quarterback Rangel, the basketball team should also welcome in senior Arturo Beltran, senior Israel Olivarez and freshman Isaac Gonzalez after the football team wraps up its season.

With Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green off hurdling linebackers, the proverbial Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry of the Raiders, senior Daunte Galvan and sophomore Elijah de la Garza had to lead the team through the first two games of the year.

De Le Garza had 39 and Galvan had 31 as the Raiders smoked a tough Brownsville Pace team, 81-51 on Tuesday at PSJA North High School.

“I think we played very well today,” Gongora said. “I thought we played with more intensity than we did in the first game.”

Things didn’t start out perfect, as North missed a few shots that the Raiders usually hit, and Pace’s tough defense allowed them to force a few turnovers. Pace led 9-3 six minutes in.

Then came the rain. De La Garza stepped into one on the right wing, 9-6. He pulled up off the dribble, 11-9 Pace. Then a Galvan three made it 12-11, North’s first lead. Galvan picked up back-to-back layups to close out the quarter with North up 16-11. Just that fast, the game was effectively over. Pace never got close again, and the Raiders got hot from the perimeter.

“We knew we just needed to move the ball a lot more,” Galvan said. “(We needed to) get our teammates open, get the bigs involved. We worked from the inside out.”

Several times Galvan would kick it inside to senior forward Rick Garcia, who would hold, then turn and find de la Garza streaking to the open spot off of a screen. The beauty of North’s team is if opponents pick up on that, they just switch the action so Galvan gets the screen.

Senior Emilio Padron led the Vikings with 9 points. Senior Jose Luis Lozoya added 8. Pace utilized a zone defense that was tough for North to crack early. Pace coach Jose Ramirez used a deep bench early and often. Several times he went with a full line swap, five in and five out.

Even with North’s dynamic backcourt, the chemistry won’t happen overnight.

“It’s getting there,” Galvan said. “We just have to play more games, communicate and talk a little bit more.”

Adding in a new starting frontcourt will not be easy either. But, Gongora plans for that. North has only played two games so far this season.

“I did that for a reason,” Gongora said. “I had a feeling that football was going to have a good team. So, I wanted to play the least amount of games that I could without some key players. I just hope we keep playing without them, because that means the football team is winning.”

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SYDNEY (AP) — Abraham Ancer went into the final round of the Australian Open with a five-stroke lead. With a few ups and downs along the way, he won it by the same margin.

The Mexican golfer, making his first trip to Australia, shot a final-round 69 Sunday to finish with a 16-under total of 272 at The Lakes.

Another major prize for Ancer’s win is a trip to next year’s British Open at Royal Portrush for finishing among the top three at the Australian Open who weren’t already exempt.

His lead was reduced to four strokes a few times. But Ancer’s shot of the day came on the fourth hole where he hit his pitch shot from just off the green well left of the flag, then watched it hit a slope and roll back down to finish in the hole for a birdie.

He thrust both arms up in the air in celebration.

“It’s been crazy,” Ancer said. “This win is all for my family. They’ve been there every single day of my life pushing me, or Mexican golf as well.”

Australian Dimitrios Papadatos (67) also qualified for the British Open after finishing in second. Jake McLeod, who shot a 66 for the low round of the day Sunday, finished third to also qualify for the Northern Ireland tournament next year.

Matt Kuchar and Keegan Bradley finished well off the pace with final-round 75s after being among the leaders for three rounds.

Kuchar will head to Melbourne next week for the World Cup of Golf to partner Kyle Stanley for the Americans at Metropolitan Golf Club. Ancer will play on the Mexican team with Roberto Diaz.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

LA JOYA — With time ticking off the clock and Mission Veterans down three points, senior guard Noe Cantu had the ball in his hand.

He surveyed the floor as the clock ticked under five seconds.

“I was looking to move the ball,” Cantu said. “(Laredo Cigarroa) was playing a zone, and to beat the zone, you need good ball movement.”

But, the clock ticked down to four, then three seconds, and Cantu’s eyes shifted to the rim. Cantu rose up over two Toros defenders, and buried a clean 3-pointer in their faces as the buzzer echoed throughout the gym at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln High School.

What made the shot all the more impressive was the will it took from Cantu and the rest of the Patriots to get to that point. Few picked the Patriots to do much of anything when the tournament started. Two close losses to bigger 6A schools (La Joya High and Eagle Pass Winn) on the first day of the tournament bolstered that sentiment. However, once the Patriots got to the bracket play, they didn’t lose, gutting out close win after close win to arrive at the Silver Bracket Championship where Cantu’s three forced the Patriots into overtime for the second game of the tournament en route to a 49-48 win.

“We were all exhausted,” Cantu said. “Every game was close, meaning we had to use more energy every time.”

The Patriots kept their composure and kept it tied throughout the first three and a half minutes of overtime.

With less than 10 seconds left in the overtime period, Cantu tossed the ball to senior forward JT Lerma who rose up for a shot with 2.5 on the clock and was fouled.

Lerma’s weekend was as long as any of the Patriots’. He hit a floater at the buzzer to beat Corpus Christi King. The 5-foot-10 big man played a ton of minutes against a 6-foot-8 post player from King.

Maybe the exhaustion explains why he missed the first free throw in overtime against Cigarroa.

“I saw the looks on my teammates’ faces,” Lerma said. “I didn’t want to disappoint them. I knew I had to hit the second one to bring home the win for the team.”

He sunk it. Even after two timeouts, all Cigarroa could find against the Patriots’ defense was a half-court runner that was well short. Time expired and the Patriots won the Silver Bracket.

“This was the perfect team to play against, because they play a similar style to a lot of teams in our district,” Mission Veterans coach Jose Ramos said. “It was a big confidence booster for our guys. One thing that I told our AC was that we want to make sure we learn how to finish games. We definitely finished some close games today. So this is a big step forward for our team.”

The first La Joya Packs’ South Texas Shootout was filled with talent. Almost all of the Valley’s best teams were there, and dream matchups were abound. Edinburg Vela faced off with former coach Lalo Rios and Edcouch-Elsa in the platinum bracket, and then the SaberCats beat Edinburg High to claim the Platinum Bracket consolation championship.

Host La Joya High made it to the Platinum Bracket third-place game, which it dropped to Harlingen High. The Platinum Bracket Championship came down to two talent-laden out of Valley teams in San Antonio Cornerstone and Laredo Alexander, with Alexander taking the win.

Mission High topped McAllen Memorial for the Gold Bracket consolation championship, and Edinburg North beat Corpus Christi Moody for the Gold Bracket title.

For Mission Veterans the win shows not only where they are on the court, but where the team is off the court as well. Last season was filled with drama, turmoil and losses. Ramos came in focused on two things: team chemistry and defense.

Both of those traits showed in their performance in La Joya this weekend.

“The team bonding is there,” Lerma said. “Just a few weeks ago, we all got together for a bar-be-que. All the team chemistry is giving us a lot of confidence when we go into games. We trust each other more, and we really love our coach.”

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