By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
The girls basketball season has been under way for close to a month, but today marks the start of District 32-6A play.
Now that the non-district part of the season has concluded, teams will take what they’ve learned and apply it to making a push toward the postseason.
The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers sit at 10-5 on the season and enter district play with the goal of besting last year’s second-round playoff loss to Laredo Alexander.
Lady Chargers coach Valentin Paz thinks his team’s tougher non-district schedule will prepare him for a successful district season.
The Hanna Lady Golden Eagles are represented by Luis Gonzalez. His team is 11-3, and he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen on the court this season.
“We’re looking good so far,” he said. “We’re where we need to be. We’re excited for district to begin, and we’re shooting for a strong beginning of the season.”
The Lady Eagles will try to play an up-tempo, full-court style of basketball and hope to rebound from last year’s fifth-place finish.
The Lopez Lady Lobos’ Stephen Davis thinks his team — which features five returning players and impressive point guard Imeilda Garcia — has a shot to make the postseason as well.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement,” Davis said. “We’re still trying to learn a new system. The past few games we’ve been competitive.”
The new-look Rivera Lady Raiders are 6-7 and still adjusting to coach Willie Brown’s system. Brown has been impressed with the improvement and maintains that his goal is to make the playoffs.
Things may be tough for the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons, as they will be playing short-handed this year. Senior Sherry Leal, who was slated to be a starting post player, tore her anterior cruciate ligament during the Thanksgiving Classic tournament.
Injuries, when paired with inexperience, could lead to a difficult season, but coach Kim Edquist is working at building a cohesive team to turn around a 5-9 non-district record.
“Inexperience is the hardest thing,” she said. “It’s tough to learn each other’s playing styles.
“We haven’t put four quarters together yet. The progress is slower than normal, but every time we see them play, they get better.”
Elsewhere in District 32-6A, is last year’s district champion Harlingen High Lady Cardinals, who will look to repeat with Ashley Moncivaiz at the helm. She is filling in for Nora Zamarripa, who is on medical leave.
The Lady Cardinals are 11-3 on the season, and Moncivaiz is confident her team can match last year’s success.
“I feel with the team chemistry and the girls buying in to the system, we can repeat as district champs,” she said. “It’s not going to be easy. We have to make sure we prepare well for every game.”
The San Benito Lady Greyhounds are led by former Rivera coach Abel Moreno and are 7-8 so far this year. They’ll look to make the postseason for the third straight season and will need to do so with freshman point guard Miranda Vallejo logging heavy minutes due to injuries.
“We’ve been getting used to the transition, but we’re coming around,” Morenosaid, “It helps that we have great leadership.”
The first district matchups of the season will feature San Benito on the road against Hanna, Rivera playing host to Harlingen High, Brownsville Veterans Memorial traveling to Harlingen South and Los Fresnos opening with a home contest against Lopez
All games will be held at 7:30 tonight, except the Brownsville Veterans-Harlingen Southgame. It is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.