By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS – In a game of runs, McAllen Rowe was able to sustain its scoring burst and slow down Harlingen High long enough to earn a 58-41 win to open the Tournament of Champions Thursday afternoon inside the Los Fresnos United dome.

After nearly battling to a stalemate in the first half, the Warriors took a 25-23 lead into the locker room at the break, when Harlingen High’s Lionel Gutierrez (12 points) drove hard to the basket to collect a shooting foul and a bucket for the Cardinals’ first points of the second half. After he drained the free throw, Gutierrez knocked down a three and Jesus Fernandez added a basket to cap an 8-0 for a 31-26 Harlingen High lead.

The turning point of the game occurred when the Warriors made a defensive adjustment that was enabled first by a counterattack to Harlingen High’s aggressive press.

“We did a good job of breaking the press,” McAllen Rowe coach Jose Luis Yebra said. “Our kids stepped in, and played some good minutes and stepped in and made some clutch shots.”

Rowe locked down the Cardinals for the rest of the period with a 17-0 run, highlighted by five points from Darrin Everage and six from Louie Yebra, who led all scorers with 22 points. Everage gave the Warriors the go-ahead bucket and a 33-31 edge with 4:30 to go in the third quarter.

“(Coach Yebra) did a good job of changing up his defense,” Harlingen High coach Clayton Cretors said. “We struggled to see if they were in zone or man, and our ball movement stopped. We struggled from there on out and couldn’t get a grasp of our offense.”

Rowe’s lead ballooned to 43-31 at the end of the third quarter, and Everage continued to be a force in the paint, backing down Jordan Crenshaw and scoring the first basket of the fourth quarter while drawing a foul and sinking the free throw. Everage finished with 12 points and was 4-of-5 from the free throw line.

“(Everage) is a very talented individual,” Cretors said. “He plays very smart, he’s able to handle the ball and penetrate and kick to find open shooters. I told the guys I had guarding him that it was a tremendous challenge to go out there and make him take contested shots and stay in front of him.”

Ruben Gonzalez had eight points for Harlingen High.

Yebra said one of the benefits of tournament play was facing teams with different strengths and approaches.

“We played some great defense,” Yebra said. “Harlingen’s a really good team. I think Harlingen gave us a great look because they’re so physical. … I think we like to play teams like that to make us a little bit tougher.”

Today, the Warriors will take on Euless Trinity, with the Cardinals playing Strake Jesuit. Both games are slated to take place at 4:30 p.m.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS – After dominating for most of the game, Los Fresnos came within inches of dropping its Tournament of Champions opener on Thursday to Edinburg Vela when a desperate heave by Kaleb Coronado clanked off the front of the rim — allowing the Falcon fans in the crowd to exhale as Los Fresnos prevailed 56-54.

“Vela’s a good squad, well-coached,” Los Fresnos coach Marco Hinojosa said. “We knew it was going to be a battle. It’s usually a great game every time we play.”

The early battles, though, were won handily by the hosts, as the Falcons jumped out to an 18-5 first quarter lead thanks to nine points in the period from Ricky Altamirano (19 points total) and five from Luis Gonzalez (14 points total).

The Sabercats outscored Los Fresnos 10-9 in the second quarter, but Luis Gonzalez knocked down a 3-pointer at the top of the key to send the Falcons into the locker room with a 27-15 halftime lead. Edinburg Vela went on to edge Los Fresnos 14-13 in the third quarter, and the visitors’ hot shooting propelled them to a 23-point fourth quarter. However, as Edinburg Vela coach Lucio Rodriguez lamented, his team’s 10 first quarter turnovers ultimately sealed the Sabercats’ fate.

At the third quarter buzzer, Altamirano nailed a long 2-pointer to put Los Fresnos up 41-30, and the Falcons seemed set to put the game away when he splashed a trey from the left elbow to score the first points of the fourth quarter.

Edinburg Vela still trailed by 11 when Coronado (14 points) hit a deep three-pointer with 6:14 to go. He drained another from downtown, and Aiden Avelar also hit a pair of threes, the first of which brought the Sabercats within three points.

“The game’s never out of reach when (Vela) can shoot the ball like the way they do,” Hinojosa said.

A pair of free throws by Vela’s Kaleb Coronado made it 46-41 in favor of Los Fresnos with 4:41 to play in the fourth quarter.

Coming out of a timeout, Elian Gonzalez answered with a three to give Los Fresnos an eight point cushion at 49-41 with 3:30 to go.

A three by Aiden Avelar brought the Sabercats within three at 51-48, but Los Fresnos quickly responded with a bucket to go back up five with 1:13 to go in the fourth quarter.

Troy Hernandez came right back for the Sabercats and was fouled on a layup with 11.3 seconds to go to bring Edinburg Vela within two at 55-53, and he sank the free throw to shrink Los Fresnos’ lead to one at 55-54.

Freshman Gerry Martinez (six points) had two chances to put the game away at the foul line, but twice missed on one-and-one free throw attempts to give the Sabercats a chance to pull even or win the game.

“We had our run, (Vela) got their run,” Hinojosa said. “At the end of the day, Vela had the ball, and we pride ourselves on defending. I told our guys, ‘alright, this is what we talked about, we’re a good defensive team and it’s time to get a stop.’ And we came up with the stops.

“Only thing is, we couldn’t hit a free throw, and we said ‘OK, this is what we do, let’s get another stop.’ And we got every stop we needed to get.”

Elian Gonzalez (eight points) clinched the victory when he stole the inbounds pass at midcourt and was fouled, and made one of two free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining before Coronado’s last second attempt fell short.

Second round action begins today, with Edinburg Vela scheduled to play San Antonio Reagan and host Los Fresnos is set to face Round Rock High. Both games will tip off at 3 p.m.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

After an accolade-filled year, Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Mark Boswell can add one additional highlight to his 2019 reel — signing a Division I scholarship to play soccer at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Coming off of a junior campaign in which the forward scored 18 goals, led the team with 30 assists, earned District 32-5A Offensive Player of the Year and Herald All-Metro MVP honors and guided his team to a regional final, the senior put pen to paper and signed his letter of intent to fulfill his dream of becoming a Vaquero.

Boswell said he began to love the game at three years old, and soccer was the sport he chose to stick with after trying several others as a young boy.

Despite battling through wrist and hamstring injuries that kept him out of the regional final against Valley View, Boswell earned a starting spot on the varsity squad and has emerged as a star in a city full of elite soccer talent.

“Mark was able to be a varsity contributor since his freshman year,” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “He’s just one of those kids that is a difference-maker on the field, being able to utilize his ability to get past people and always be a threat (on offense.

“I know Mark’s goal or dream had been to play at the Division I level, so it’s very gratifying to see his dream come true.”

Boswell credited Vasquez and the Chargers’ staff, as well has his Brownsville Galaxy club coaches for helping him develop as a player.

After a solid all-star game performance, Boswell said the Vaquero coaching staff contacted him and he remained on their radar after impressing them during several skill camps.

At UTRGV, Boswell will join three other Rio Grande Valley natives, including Luis Rubio, a sophomore defender from Edinburg, Damian Magallan, a Valley View alumnus, and Jose Cantu, a PSJA Southwest graduate on what is an otherwise very international and diverse roster.

“ know it’s not easy,” Boswell said of playing at the next level. “It’s DI. It’s what I always wanted to try and get to. … There’s room for improvement every day. It’s for sure something new, and I find it very exciting.”

The Vaqueros compete in the NCAA’s Western Athletic Conference. They finished the 2019 season 8-6-2 and 4-5-2 in conference play.

While Boswell’s three years with the Chargers are among the most decorated in the program’s rich history, he still feels that Brownsville Veterans has unfinished business in 2020 and is eager to make one last deep playoff run.

“Soccer’s not an (individual) sport,” Boswell said. “We all like to win, and that’s the main thing. Our dream is to win state, and we’re just trying to work hard to get there. … It’s exciting. I just want to get started and play already.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

For more than a quarter century, the Los Fresnos Tournament of Champions has been a signature event on the Rio Grande Valley basketball calendar.

This year’s edition of the tournament does not appear to be an exception, as teams from the Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio metro areas will be represented against some of the Valley’s best. On Friday, the 3-point shooting contest and dunk contest will be the first action of the day, starting at 1:10 p.m.

“There’s no easy way out,” Los Fresnos coach Marco Hinojosa said. “We do have a tough schedule, but it’s like that for a reason. I think we have a team to compete, not saying we can win every basketball game, but we do have team to compete.”

Hinojosa, who noted his team has a pair of road games at San Antonio Cole and Antonian Prep praised the strength of schedule and the quality of the teams visiting from up north.

“Those teams come in here with a lot of hype, a lot of athleticism, and experience,” Hinojosa said. “It’s going to be a fun tournament.”

The tournament begins today with 1:30 p.m. tipoff between a pair of Class 6A schools in Harlingen High and McAllen Rowe.

The winner between the Cardinals and Warriors will take on defending champion Euless Trinity, led by senior point guard Kam Dancy.

The host Falcons will play Edinburg Vela at 3 p.m., and the loser of that game will advance to play San Antonio Reagan at 3 p.m. Friday.

Reagan will bring with them a formidable and experienced lineup, featuring 6-foot-8 senior point guard Will Carsten, who is averaging 18.8 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game.

Junior Keith Davis is scoring at a clip of 12.5 points per game, while leading the Rattlers with 3.3 assists per contest.

Reagan defeated Strake Jesuit, another participant in the Tournament of Champions, 71-45 in a tournament in San Antonio on Nov. 23. Players to watch from the Fighting Crusaders are junior shooting guard Edgar Romero, senior point guard Luke Thorburn, and senior shooting guard Blaine Holbrook.

The winner of the Los Fresnos-Edinburg Vela matchup will play Round Rock High at 3 p.m. Friday.

Round Rock features shooting guard Jae’lyn Brooks, point guard Braden Lee, and small forward Larson Featherstone. The Dragons will take on another Valley opponent when they face Hidalgo in the Hays Rebel Classic on Dec. 26 in Buda.

The semifinal games are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Saturday, and the final is slated for a 5 p.m. tipoff.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS – Los Fresnos coach Marco Hinojosa is used to seeing excellence from Ricky Altamirano and the selfless brand of positionless basketball he has installed with the Falcons.

Altamirano had 18 points, Gerry Martinez added 15, and Los Fresnos cruised to a 59-38 win over McAllen High Tuesday night.

“Ricky’s a special player,”Hinojosa said. “But the team is also special. We scored in spurts, and there’s times that Gerry can go for eight straight. … It’s just different people at different times.”

The Falcons’ Luis Gonzalez knocked down a three-pointer for the game’s first basket,and
Martinez hit a 3 that put the Falcons up 8-0 with 5:30 to go in the first quarter. Los Fresnos led 10-0 with three minutes to go, and the Bulldogs were held off the scoreboard until the 4:14 mark of the first quarter, when QuinLLion Canada was fouled on a floater and drained a free throw to compete a three-point play.

“Q was killing us every which way,” Hinojosa said. “We couldn’t stop it. But we defended a little bit better, and most importantly we rebounded all those missed shots, and that was the big difference for us in the second half.”

Shortly after that, Martinez was fouled while making a double-clutch layup and converted the free throw. Los Fresnos led 20-11 after the first quarter, and Martinez again connected from three-point range to make the score 23-14 in favor of the home team with 7:10 to go in the second quarter.

Canada’s three-pointer cut the lead to five at 25-20 with 5:45 to go in the second quarter. A steal by Eric Ruiz led to an and-one layup that brought McHi within two points with 5:08 remaining in the second quarter.

Three-pointers from Ruiz and Robert Canal brought the Bulldogs to within one, trailing Los Fresnos 27-26 with three minutes to go in the first half.

But Martinez ensured McHi would not get any closer. With 29 seconds to go, the freshman was fouled again on a reverse layup and cashed in on the free throw. Elian Gonzalez followed his teammate by euro-stepping his way to the rim for a lay-in that gave the Falcons a 32-26 lead at the half.

Canal opened the third quarter with a three for McHi, but Los Fresnos outscored the Bulldogs 18-7 in the period and 9-5 in the fourth quarter.

Altamirano showed off his ability to dish the rock to his teammates in the second half, assisting Tony Aldrighetti on a corner three that made the score 37-31. Altamirano also led the break on a bounce pass to Gonzalez for a layup off the glass to make it 39-31 with 3:40 to go in the third.

“(The players) don’t get enough credit for that, but they’re a very unselfish team,” Hinojosa said.

A pair of free throws by Martinez grew the lead to 10 at 41-31, part of an 11-5 run in the period. Martinez also distributed the ball, driving to the rim and kicking the ball out to Alex Moreno for a three that put Los Fresnos ahead 47-31.

A strong take to the rim from Altamirano resulted in a 3-point play that put the Falcons up 50-33.

He also knocked down a 3 that put Los Fresnos up 54-35 with 5:30 to go in the game. Yet again, late in the fourth quarter, Altamirano got a bucket to fall while drawing contact from a McHi defender. He finished 3-for-4 from the charity stripe, and nailed the ensuing free throw to give the Falcons a 57-35 lead (their largest of the night) as Los Fresnos cruised to the win.

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

LOS FRESNOS — Ari Gallardo had 17 points to lead Los Fresnos to a 48-35 non-district win Saturday over McAllen Memorial.

The Lady Falcons trailed 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, but they outscored the Lady Mustangs 10-5 during the second quarter to lead 17-15 at the half.

“I think it was a great team effort,” Los Fresnos coach Rebecca Valdez said. “McAllen Memorial always is a good team, so it’s always a good game.”

Sarahi Jones had 10 points, and Jasmin Garcia had nine for the Lady Falcons.

Jones picked up an offensive rebound off of a Kylie Garcia missed free throw and scored on a layup to give Los Fresnos a 30-22 lead with three minutes to play in the third quarter. She also demonstrated an ability to be an effective passer from the perimeter, finding a cutting Clarissa Esquibel in the paint for an easy layup that put the Lady Falcons ahead 38-31.

“(Jones) is just a sophomore,” Valdez said. “Last year I told her she had to step up defensively, and she’s doing a great job. I’m really proud of what she’s developed into, and I can’t wait for her future.”

Garcia had two blocks and knocked down a 3-pointer to open the third quarter and spark a 7-0 Los Fresnos run. The Lady Falcons led 22-15 with six minutes remaining in the period.

“Jasmin is always a big presence inside,” Valdez said. “I was proud of her containing and keeping her fouls to a minimum, and she did a great job defensively as well as making her layups.”

Valdez was impressed with her team’s improved free-throw shooting Saturday. Jones was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, Gallardo went 6-for-8 and the Lady Falcons were a combined 14-for-18 from the charity stripe.

McAllen Memorial’s Cori Talamantez had eight points during the first quarter, and Tori Alvarado had six first-half points for the Lady Mustangs. Talamantez finished with 16 points and Alvarado finished with 13.

A steal and coast-to-coast layup by Ari Gallardo with less than two minutes to go gave the Lady Falcons a 32-23 advantage. Los Fresnos led by as many as 12 in the third quarter.

Gallardo chipped in eight points in the third quarter, and four other Lady Falcons scored in the period. Los Fresnos’ leading scorer helped force several turnovers and led the break, with the option of taking a transition layup or finding an open teammate alongside her.

“Whenever I get a chance to drive it, I can look to make an outlet pass or go for a shot,” Gallardo said. “It’s just chemistry.”

Talamantez banked in a 3 from just inside the half court line at the buzzer to cut Los Fresnos’ third quarter lead to 36-28.

Iasia Goldman got a bucket for the Lady Mustangs to prompt a Los Fresnos timeout with the Lady Falcons up 38-33 at the 4:45 mark of the fourth quarter. Leaning heavily on Jones’ six fourth-quarter points, Los Fresnos went on to outscore McAllen Memorial 10-2 from that point forward.

Gallardo said her team’s cohesion was a big reason why the Lady Falcons put the game away down the stretch.

“It’s just mental focus,” Gallardo said. “Even though we’re tired, we work as a team, play as a team, communicate as a team and we win big games.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

Retail workers weren’t the only ones putting in extra time on Black Friday, as Hanna required an overtime period to finish off a feisty Lopez squad 56-55 at home.

The Lady Eagles were led by Odalys Gonzalez, who posted 17 rebounds and scored four of her 19 points in overtime, including the game-winning bucket. Fabiola Estrada had 14 points and Sofia Castillo had 13 points to lead the visitors.

“I’m really proud of our girls,” Hanna coach Luis Gonzalez said. “And the way they fought back and found a way to win. (Lopez) hit some big threes, it could have gone either way.”

With the game deadlocked at 47 at the start of overtime, Lopez’s Sofia Castillo made her way through the lane and made her signature one-legged jumper off the glass a few steps inside the free throw line to put the Lady Lobos ahead by two.

Yasmin Rucoba (nine points) evened the game back up for Hanna, followed by a three-pointer by Alexis Alvarez that bounced high off of the rim before finding its way through the net.

Estrada tied the game at 52 with a three of her own, and the Lady Eagles fed the ball to Gonzalez in the paint to go up by two.

With the crowd’s energy at its apex, Cielo Chapa connected on a deep three-ball to put her squad back on top and send the Lady Lobos’ supporters into a frenzy.

But Gonzalez, perhaps boosted by the Lady Eagles’ vocal fans, again found a way to elevate above the Lopez defense, using the glass for the decisive basket.

“She just really helped us with her rebounding and her presence tonight,” Gonzalez said. “Without her, it would have been a different ballgame.”

The home team jumped out to a 13-5 lead at the 3:30 mark of the first quarter, during which Alvarez scored seven of her 15 points, including the first of three three-point field goals.

At that point, it appeared the Lady Eagles were going to cruise to an easy post-holiday victory. The Lady Lobos and Brenda Savariego (11 points) had other plans.

“They fought hard throughout the whole game,” Lopez coach Ray Montes said. “Every possession counts. That’s a learning experience that they’ll have to go through. I just told them to go home and think about that one time you didn’t box out, that one free throw you missed, that one layup that we missed … I’m very proud of them, but at the same time, we have to go home and think about those things and change our mentality.”

Her strong drive through the middle of the lane for a floater ended the Lopez scoring drought and brought Hanna’s lead to 13-7 with 1:30 to go in the first quarter.

Shortly thereafter, the Lady Lobos swung the ball to Chapa (11 points) for a 10-foot bunker along the baseline and Savariego hit a jumper inside the left elbow to cap a 6-0 scoring burst at the end of the quarter, at which point Hanna led by four.

That set the tone for Lopez in the second quarter, which began on a similar note when Castillo drained a one-footed floater to bring the Lady Lobos within a basket, cutting Hanna’s lead to 15-13 with 6:30 to go in the period.

Odalys Gonzalez snapped Lopez’s 8-0 run when she scored Hanna’s first basket of the second quarter to put the Lady Eagles up 17-13 at the 3:45 mark. Hanna led by as much as seven in the second quarter after a three-pointer from Esmeralda Fuentes.

The tide turned in Lopez’s favor when Estrada and Savariego both made shots from downtown in the final 26 seconds of the half, the latter of which came at the buzzer to cut Hanna’s lead to 20-19 as both teams headed to the locker room.

Castillo’s steal and coast-to-coast layup in the opening minute of the third quarter gave Lopez a 21-20 lead, its first of the game.

The Lady Lobos capitalized on Hanna’s passive transition defense and continued to share the ball, swinging the ball around the arc for an Areli Cisneros three-pointer.

On the other end, a Gonzalez offensive rebound led to more unselfish play, as she passed the ball out to Hanna point guard Sam Ramos, who assisted Alvarez on a three that put the Lady Eagles ahead by four points.

Lopez trailed by three entering the fourth quarter and went on to outscore Hanna 15-12 in the period.

Down 47-44 late in regulation, a wild sequence allowed the Lady Lobos to extend the game when they turned the ball over and were forced to foul Ramos with under a minute to go. Ramos missed both of her free throws and opened the door for Chapa to knock down the game-tying bucket from deep three-point range.

Both coaches agreed that the game, which had the feel of a playoff-like atmosphere at its peak, was important for preparing their players for their respective district schedules.

“That’s what this non-district schedule is all about,” Gonzalez said. “Overall I’m just really pleased with the girls and I’m just grateful we’ll be ready for district.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | KEVIN NARRO Staff Writers

Following a 68-49 loss against PSJA North on Tuesday, Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez addressed a conundrum that his team occasionally deals with when it encounters a big like the Raiders’ Iziaah Rangel.

“Can I afford to bring in a big that can matchup with him,” Ramirez said. “And not be able to run? Or do I bring a mid-size kid that can run and defend that kind of (post player). That’s kind of where we’re at right now. I do have a couple of big kids that just can’t run when we try to run the floor – not yet, anyway.”

Pace’s coach did insert 6-foot-4 sophomore Chase Morales to try to counter PSJA North’s size advantage.

“We just couldn’t get into the right flow,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez said senior Esequiel Hernandez has a good track record as being Pace’s go-to stopper when the Vikings are tasked with slowing down an imposing, physical frontcourt player like Rangel.

Despite his recent struggles, Hernandez will likely remain an important cog of the Pace rotation going forward. But Ramirez was clear about the need for a change in the short-term.

“He’s really a 4, he’s a small forward,” Ramirez said. “I gave him the assignment (of Rangel) because he is tough – he’ll take a charge, he likes to box out – his specialty is on the defensive side. He’s done a good job. (Against PSJA North) though he kind of didn’t. He wasn’t aggressive enough.

“I hadn’t seen that from him in a while, so we definitely need to look at our lineup and see what we can do as far as making the right change to put the right person inside to get us that stop, especially when the other team has a big kid inside.”

EAST VALLEY BOYS

Los Fresnos freshman Gerry Martinez led the Falcons with 20 points in an 89-34 win over Mission Veterans on Tuesday. Martinez went 3-for-6 from three-point range and 7 for 13 from the field. He also had two steals. Elian Gonzalez had 18 points and Alex Moreno, Luis Gonzalez, and Rick Altamirano each posted 11 points for Los Fresnos.

The Falcons are set to host Weslaco High at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Also on Tuesday, Harlingen High topped Edinburg Vela 57-54 in overtime and Brownsville Veterans Memorial edged Rio Hondo 41-40. The Cardinals will host Pace at 7 p.m. on Dec. 3. The Chargers are slated to host Rivera at 2:30 p.m. Friday, while the Bobcats will visit Santa Maria at 8 p.m. on Dec. 3.

The Raymondville boys defeated rival Lyford 56-42 at home on Tuesday. Ethan Moreno had 12 points and Jayson Cantu had 11 for the Bearkats. Adrian Sierra finished with nine points and Jose Garcia had eight for the Bulldogs.

Santa Maria lost 71-62 at Edcouch Elsa on Monday. The Cougars will travel to Valley View to play the Tigers at 4 p.m. Saturday.

On Friday, Santa Rosa and San Perlita will travel to San Antonio’s AT&T Center, the home of the San Antonio Spurs, where they will play at 1:45 p.m. Following the contest, the teams and their traveling fans will watch the Spurs take on the Los Angeles Clippers at 7:30 p.m.

EAST VALLEY GIRLS

Jubilee Brownsville beat Brownsville IDEA Frontier 48-44 to tip off the District 32-3A slate on Monday, while the Porter Cowgirls defeated San Perlita 60-50 on Monday and Hanna picked up a 36-27 victory over Raymondville on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, Weslaco High topped Harlingen South 51-46, while Rio Hondo defeated St. Joseph Academy 58-46.

After Thanksgiving, Harlingen High and Los Fresnos will each have a high profile non-district game, as the Lady Cardinals visit Laredo Nixon at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and the Lady Falcons host McAllen Memorial at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Harlingen South is off to a strong start behind a balanced attack on offense to go along with Bianca Gonzalez and Julia Celis as the teams tone-setters on defense.

The defensive side of the ball has been key side of the ball has been key for the Lady Hawks, who have been challenged early.

“The girls have been working hard defensively,” said South coach Kelly Garrett. “It has helped us tremendously. We have played some tough teams so far, especially at the Northside tournament in San Antonio.”

On Tuesday, South fell to Weslaco High 51-46. In the loss, Isabella Marez scored a team-high 12 points. Celis finished with eight and Amber Lopez netted seven points.

The Lady Hawks will meet Mercedes on the road Dec.3

Rio Hondo continues to play well through the early portion of the season, posting a 7-2 record, with its most recent win coming in a 58-46 win over Brownsville St. Joseph. Estrella Garza scored a game-high 16 points. Jazaline Ayala and Eliza Rodriguez each scored nine points in the win.

Up next is the Tommy Wiseman tournament next Thursday in La Feria.

On Monday Lyford kicked off district play with an 84-24 win over IDEA Pike. The Lady Bulldogs improve to 6-3 on the year and are 1-0 in league play. Kayleen May led the way with 19-points, Samamtha Delgado followed with 13 points and Alyssa Garcia netted 11 ponts. Lyford will now meet IDEA Riverview on Tuesday.

Jubilee Brownsville beat Brownsville IDEA Frontier 48-44 to tip off the District 32-3A slate on Monday, while the Porter Cowgirls defeated San Perlita 60-50 on Monday and Hanna picked up a 36-27 victory over Raymondville on Tuesday.

By Stefan Modrich | Staff Writer

Starting three sophomores would be a sign of a rebuild for some programs. That is not the case at Pace under coach Jose Luis Ramirez.

While the Vikings have a prolific offense – fronted by playmaking point guard Cristian Guajardo, and sharpshooters Elias Fortaneli and Alexander Agado – their early non-district schedule has put their defense to the test.

“We know we can play defense because we’re fast,” Guajardo said. “Our consistency with how we press the ball lacks sometimes. If we’re able to to that the whole game, we’re going to be a dangerous team, but until we get there, it’s going to be hard for us.”

Ramirez, for his part, appeared to agree with his point guard’s assessment.

“We need to play better defense,” Pace coach Ramirez said. “Defensively I thought we were a little stagnant. I don’t think we moved, we didn’t rotate, and that’s something that hindered us last game that I thought we covered it in the last couple practices.”

The Vikings also will look to improve their rebounding on both ends of the floor after dropping Tuesday’s game against PSJA North 68-49.

“When (PSJA North) missed, they got their second and third opportunities,” Ramirez said. “It’s a losing proposition if you’re going to give them four or five shots every time and (we’re) only getting one.”

Pace did space the floor well against the Raiders, but the three-pointers simply didn’t fall at a clip that Ramirez and those who have seen his teams over the years have come to expect.

“We need to continue to attack and be more confident in our shot,” Ramirez. “I’ve seen them shoot in practice, and we’re a way better team than that.”

Guajardo’s intelligence and awareness, as well as his play on the court have helped him establish himself as the clear leader of the Vikings. Like his coach, Guajardo is unafraid to diagnose some of the problems exposed during preseason scrimmages and non-district play, one of which was transition defense. How can they improve it?

“The way we read the ball,” Guajardo said. “We really don’t communicate, so all of our movement, we when go (double-team an opposing ball-handler) we don’t communicate we’re going to double. Our transition between each guy is off, and so that’s what gives them easy buckets and that’s how they’re able to get inside quickly. If we can just patch everything up, we’ll be a solid team.

“We need to do more reps,” Guajardo said. “(Some guys) are (just getting back) from football and they don’t really know how the game works, the speed is different. Just for them to see when I’m in trouble and for me to see when they’re in trouble is what we need to connect on.”

As the oft-repeated idiom goes, the best defense is a good offense. But this is perhaps no better illustrated than by the game of basketball, especially at the breakneck pace the Vikings like to play at.

In other words, it’s difficult to give up points in transition if the other team has to take the ball out from under the basket.

“If I can hit the open shooter and they can knock down the shots, that’s really what’s going to propel us,” Guajardo said. “We’re a good shooting team, so it’s really just our confidence that we’re lacking because we’re on a three-game losing streak. We just need to keep battling through it.”

With Fortaneli and Agado to spread the floor, Pace loves to launch the rock from behind the arc.

“(Fortaneli) a big help for me,” Guajardo said. “This year he’s way more confident in his shot. Right now (Agado) is going through some slumps, but he is a lethal shooter, it’s hard for him to stop once he gets hot.”

Pace’s outside-in game will also create high-percentage looks for players like 6-foot-4 sophomore Chase Morales, Esequiel Hernandez, and Dominick Morales in and around the paint.

“We have bigs, but they’re pretty young too,” Guajardo said. “So they don’t understand ball-fakes and stuff. But once we really teach them how to be big, then our bigs will start producing the way we want them to produce.”

Fortaneli said he, Guajardo and Agado have gelled because of their history of playing basketball together before they arrived at Pace, and the three have elevated their games after their first year of varsity experience.

“We’ve been playing (together) for the past five years,” Fortaneli said. “We just wanted to translate it to the high school level. Freshman year, we just tried building that bond. We’ve clicked together and that helps us win games. … Last year was rough for us, but we know what to expect now.”

By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer

Coaches across the world of sports often insist that there are no moral victories.

Except of course, when there are, as was the case in Pace’s 68-49 home loss to PSJA North Wednesday afternoon.

The Vikings were within four points at the end of the first quarter, fell behind by eight at the half, and were outscored 19-5 in a decisive third quarter. But Pace rallied to edge the raiders 21-17 in the fourth quarter, and played with a noticeably different level of intensity in the final period.

“There are no moral victories,” Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez said. “But we’ve got to take that.”

The Vikings scored the game’s first basket, but trailed the rest of the way. Cristian Guajardo (11 points) knocked down a corner three with 2:52 to play in the first quarter put to an end to an 8-2 PSJA North run.

“We were outmatched today,” Ramirez said. “Other kids needed to step up and we just didn’t do it as a team. We will get there.”

Pace’s troubles came when they couldn’t adjust quickly enough to the Raiders’ strategy of double-teaming Guajardo, though there were times when the sophomore point guard’s playmaking ability and the Vikings’ unselfish ball movement made PSJA North pay.

Marcos Cuevas buried a three pointer from the right elbow to draw within four points late in the first quarter. after Guajardo worked out of a double team and made a cross-court pass to Elias Fortaneli, who swung the ball around to an open Cuevas for the jumper.

The Raiders were led by Iziaah Rangel (20 points), who was the tallest player on the floor for most of the game. His length and athleticism helped give the visitors an edge, best exhibited by his steal of an inbounds pass along the Pace baseline that resulted in an easy layup and a 19-12 PSJA North lead with 7:12 to play in the second quarter.

Guajardo kept battling to find himself and his teammates open looks, hitting a contested jumper over Juan Gonzalez that made it 19-16 with 5:45 to go on the second quarter.

The Vikings’ Alexander Agado helped keep Pace within striking distance when he drilled a three-pointer that brought the Raiders’ lead to 25-21.

But Rangel one-upped the competition again when he launched a three from the top of the key at the buzzer that gave PSJA North a 32-23 advantage at the half. He and the Raiders kept rolling into the second half, as nine of his points came during the third period. PSJA North locked down the Vikings and coasted into the fourth quarter with a 51-28 lead.

The third quarter served as a wake-up call for Ramirez and his team.

“Our mentality is we’re down, we have urgency to get the ball and be tough,” Ramirez said. “I told them ‘don’t worry about the score, your attitude should affect the score. So let’s get after it and let’s play hard each play.’ And I think we did that.”

In the fourth quarter, Pace’s aggressive defense forced a few turnovers that led directly to easy buckets, and eight different Vikings chipped in on the scoresheet in the game’s final period.

Esequiel Hernandez and Elias Fortaneli combined for nine points in the fourth quarter for Pace.

Ramirez said it was important for his players to reacclimate to the hardwood and to be exposed right away to high-level competition.

“They’ve to go get their basketball legs, half of this team was in football a week ago,” Ramirez said. “So I’ve got them, and they’ve had maybe four practices all together. That’s what this (non-district schedule) is about. Playing against the best of the best, we had (McAllen Rowe) last week, we had (Weslaco High) and PSJA North now. We’ve been playing the best teams we can find because we want to raise our level of play, and I think that’s indicative of what today was. We just didn’t raise our level of play like we needed to. That’s a (lesson to learn) for us, and this is the type of game that will make us better.”