Los Fresnos raised the 2019 City of Palms Tournament championship trophy after taking down the host McAllen Rowe two years ago.
After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the City of Palms Tournament is back and so are the Falcons to defend their title. They’ll have to hold off a field of 16 teams, including powerhouses Brownsville Pace and McAllen Rowe, in order to do so.
This year’s bracket is stacked with top teams from across the Rio Grande Valley.
“It’s something we’ve been doing for at least 15 years now, and we wanted to keep the tournament going. Last year, nothing due to COVID, so we’re excited about hosting the tournament again,” Rowe head coach Jose Yebra said. “We love the competition and having teams come up. It’s good for the kids to see different teams, different styles of play and be able to compete and prepare for district.”
Brownsville Rivera, Harlingen South, Mercedes, Rio Hondo, Santa Rosa and Sharyland High are also competing in this year’s tourney.
Highlighting Day 1 of the tournament are matchups between Sharyland High and San Benito at 9 a.m., Los Fresnos vs. Rio Hondo at 1:30 p.m., Mercedes vs. Santa Rosa at 4:30 p.m. and McAllen Rowe vs. Nuevo Leon 06 at 7:30 p.m., all at McAllen Rowe High School.
Saturday’s City of Palms Tournament schedule feature two semifinal games at noon and 1:30 p.m. for a spot in the championship game. The championship game is set for a 6 p.m. tip off Saturday.
TWO LOCAL PLAYERS UP FOR AWARD
Edinburg Economedes senior forward Ray De Leon and San Perlita’s Ely Terry are nominated for Dave Campbell’s Texas Basketball Mr. Texas Basketball Player of the Week after standout performances over the weekend.
Economedes played in McAllen High’s South Texas Bash Tournament and De Leon filled the stat sheet every game. He posted 37 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, five steals and four blocks during a 85-54 win over Santa Rosa. He added 29 points 10 rebounds, eight assists, seven steals and four blocks during a 68-63 win over Brownsville Veterans and 27 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, seven steals and four blocks during a 62-52 win over Laredo Martin.
San Perlita’s Terry was playing in the Flatonia Tournament and produced video game-like numbers to earn his nomination. Terry scored 61 points with 14 made 3-pointers against Fayetteville and followed it up with a 70-point game with 16 made 3s during a 97-51 win over Nordheim.
To vote for De Leon and Terry, visit www.texasbasketball.com/mr-texas-basketball.
DISTRICT PLAY UNDERWAY
District 31-6A competition is underway after a full-slate of games Tuesday night.
Defending district champion La Joya High topped PSJA North 71-59 led by a 26-point performance from Ethan Moya and a 21-point game from Hugo Cantu.
After missing out on the postseason a year ago, the Edinburg Vela SaberCats are off to a solid start after running past Edinburg North 64-41. Tony Requena and Aiden Avelar dropped 15 points apiece to lead the SaberCats.
Edinburg Economedes and Edinburg High also are in the 31-6A win column as the Jaguars blew out PSJA High 64-33, while the Bobcats took down Mission High 65-43.
District 31-6A games to watch Friday night include Edinburg High at Edinburg Vela and Edinburg North and PSJA North. Both are set for 6 p.m. starts.