By EDWARD SEVERN, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — East Valley boys basketball teams wrapped up district play this past week and will begin the opening rounds of the playoffs Monday and Tuesday.
Two of the Rio Grande Valley’s best teams reside in Brownsville. The St. Joseph Bloodhounds and the Pace Vikings finished the season unscathed in their districts to claim titles.
The Bloodhounds had to fend off a tough Laredo St. Augustine program to earn their TAPPS 5A District 4 title and a bye in the first round.
“The team really came together and played great all year,” Bloodhounds coach Sam Lucio said. “We were able to win two tournaments and back-to-back district championships. The boys are eager and excited for the opportunity. They are ready for one last game at the dome.”
Pace, the District 32-5A champion, matches up with the McAllen Rowe Warriors. The Vikings beat the Warriors 80-42 in a non-district meeting this season.
Vikings coach Jose Ramirez said his team stayed focused and healthy during a challenging district season.
“Every team brought their best against us,” he said. “Because it was a tough district season, we feel prepared for the playoffs. We have separated the men from the boys, and it is time to man up.”
The toughest game Pace had in district play came against Brownsville Veterans Memorial. The Vikings edged the Chargers 45-39 during the first round of district play.
Brownsville Veterans’ reward for making the playoffs is a game against the McAllen High Bulldogs, the District 31-5A champions.
“It was a season filled with many obstacles,” Brownsville Veterans coach Albert Briones said. “COVID, injuries, learning a new system and getting used to a new coach were some challenges. We are confident in what we can do. We will do our best to bring the fight against arguably one of, if not the best team in the Valley.”
The Harlingen South Hawks, Harlingen High Cardinals and the Brownsville Hanna Golden Eagles came out of the District 32-6A gauntlet. Weslaco High claimed the district title.
“It was a good season of ups and downs,” Hawks coach Brian Molina said. “I think our basketball team progressed and improved as the season went along.”
Molina said his team had its back against the wall during its last two games and is glad how it responded to finish district play. Harlingen South’s wins against Hanna and Harlingen High were massively important because of playoff implications.
The Hawks will square up with Edinburg Economedes in the first round Tuesday.
“They are experienced and well-coached,” Molina said. “I told the kids, ‘Let’s go out there, play hard and see where the chips fall.’”
Harlingen High won a third-place seeding game with Hanna on Friday night, 43-37, to set up an outing with Edinburg North.
“It was an up-and-down season,” Cardinals coach Clayton Cretors said. “Credit that to our competitive district. We are excited to make the playoffs again but not satisfied. We want to make noise in the playoffs and go as far as we can.”
Hanna will take on Edinburg Vela, the District 31-6A champion. The Eagles are ready after traversing must-win games the last couple of weeks, coach Fermin Lucio said.
“We started district 1-3,” Lucio said. “But the boys never stopped working and fought our way through a tough district to make the playoffs, and for that I am proud.”
The Raymondville Bearkats earned their District 32-4A title with a win against Grulla last Wednesday and will play host to Corpus Christi Calallen on Monday.
Coach Rick Tamez said his team has improved year after year.
“Two years ago, we played more sophomores than upperclassmen,” he said. “These young men are now seniors and have quietly won 24 games this year. We are extremely blessed to have come out on top this year.”
The Bearkats accomplished their first goal of winning a district title Their second goal, a deep playoff run, is in progress, Tamez said.
Port Isabel also will host a playoff game. The Tarpons will take on Alice on Monday.
“The boys have been looking forward to this,” P.I. coach Gilbert Rodriguez said. “We have talked about this since the summer. A deep playoff run has always been our goal.”
Rodriguez also said the opportunity for the Tarpons to play at home adds an extra element to their playoff excitement.
Rio Hondo scrapped with the Bearkats and Tarpons this year, claiming third in the competitive district. The Bobcats will face Zapata, a well-coached team that plays really tough, Rio Hondo coach Michael Alvarez said.
“We are battle-tested,” he said. “I feel that if we play Bobcat Basketball and do the things that we are capable of, then I like our chances.”
The District 32-3A champions, the Santa Rosa Warriors, are excited to play host to their bi-district meeting against Edinburg IDEA, coach Rene Duque said.
“For the past few days, we have been going through a conditioning stage,” he said. “More to get ready for the fourth quarter. We are getting ready to go against teams that are well-coached and conditioned.”
Some of the seniors feel like they played poorly their last time at home, and this is a redemption game for them, Duque said.
Brownsville Jubilee, the second-place finisher in the district, will play Edinburg IDEA Quest. Brownsville IDEA Frontier finished fourth in the district and have a tough challenge against a really good North Mission IDEA team.
The champions of District 32-2A, the Santa Maria Cougars, square off against Three Rivers. The Cougars got off to a rocky start, and it took some time for the team to get on the same page, coach Juan Cipriano said.
Cipriano believes the extra practice his team received from not playing Christmas tournaments helped.
“After the Christmas break, we won all of our district games except one,” he said. “Going into the playoff we are confident but will not take anyone lightly.”
The San Perlita Trojans finished second in District 32-1A. The Trojans claimed big wins in non-district against Harlingen High and Brownsville Hanna. They also played McHi tough, only losing by six, 77-71.
San Perlita is matched up with Rocksprings in the first round.