BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
HIDALGO — Almost every year, Hidalgo loses a talented class of seniors, but the key to the Pirates’ sustained excellence has been their ability to overcome those losses, and keep moving forward.
In 2018, Frankie Sanchez and Aaron Anaya graduated, leaving a big hole for the Pirates to fill.
In response, coach Gus Sanchez inserted two bench players into this year’s starting lineup, seniors Luis Toledano and Alexis Gonzalez. Adding those two, to the extremely talented core of senior Andy Flores, sophomore Gus Sanchez and senior Saul Arjona has been a perfect fit.
“Alexis, he is very big on defense, especially because he can guard anything,” the younger Sanchez said. “We can make any switch with him, because he can guard guards and bigs. That is a big help to us. And when he is with Saul, who can also guard bigs and smalls, it makes it very tough for our opponents.”
The versatile front line of Gonzalez and Arjona has been a nightmare for teams of all shapes and sizes. Gonzalez can guard low post bigs with unrelenting defensive pressure. And as Sanchez described, either big can make the switch onto perimeter players.
Toledano benefited greatly from a summer season, which allowed him to play with the starters and find his game.
“In the summer, when we started playing with our travel team, I just started to improve a lot,” Toledano said, adding shooting was a big part of his improvement. “Coach wanted us to be in the starting five, so we had to do everything perfectly to get that opportunity. I worked on my shot a lot.”
“Everyone in our starting five can shoot the 3,” the younger Sanchez said. “That makes us more deadly, because we can spread the floor, or we can go big with Kyle coming in.”
Sophomore Kyle Perales is still learning how to dominate from the low post, but his post defense and high energy has been a boon for the Pirates, especially against bigger teams.
“He’s a sophomore with a 6-foot-2 frame,” coach Sanchez said. “Anytime we play a bigger team, he along with Moises Longoria, come in to give us a lot of size and depth coming off the bench. (Perales) is barely getting to know his size and strength. He will be good for us for the next couple years.”
The sophomore, Sanchez, has hit a peak in his game this year, averaging 16.3 points, 5.1 assists and 5 steals per game. Gonzalez is at 11.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. Flores is scoring 16 per game. For Flores, the progression of getting back from an ACL injury last year was not easy, but he is now fully back.
“I had a really good game against St. Joe’s,” Flores said. “That was when I felt like, ok I’m back. I really had it going that night, and that gave me a lot of confidence.”
While Hidalgo has often been known for its shooting, coach Sanchez said this year, they have the ability to beat teams in so many different ways.
“We have always felt that if we play hard and we play good defense, we have a chance,” he said. “If we can complement our defense with going up and down and making shots, and now trying to balance our team with going inside, it is just another dimension we have added.”
Not only is the starting five playing lights out, but the depth on the Pirates’ bench is top notch.
“We want to make sure that we are not one dimensional or two dimensional, we are working with the younger kids,” Coach Sanchez said. “We have had more of shooting team over the years, but I think this team is a very balanced team. We just have to get our kids used to going inside.”
The Pirates are 18-6 overall and 4-0 in District 32-4A.
“There is still a lot of room for improvement,” the sophomore, Sanchez said. “We are still learning to play with each other, we are jelling a lot, especially now that we are in district season. We will get there, and we are getting closer. We will get there by the time playoffs come.”
The demands on the Pirates are high, but by playing the schedule they do, it is all about being ready for the postseason.
“In non-district, we were going against higher level teams,” Sanchez said. “We played 6As and 5As, especially going up to Fredericksburg. iIt got us a lot of experience playing with bigger players. We played against kids who were 6-5, 6-6. That is what gets us ready for the playoffs.”
And it is clear the Pirates intend on being a big factor in the playoffs this year.
“It is exciting, because it is our senior year,” Arjona said. “We have a senior ballclub, and we want to leave our mark. So, we are taking every opportunity we get and making the most of it. Hopefully that will lead us deep into the playoffs.”