After thumping the Edcouch-Elsa Lady Yellowjackets on Saturday 67-34, the Lady Cards improved to 13-1 on the year.
Apparently, the rest of the state has taken notice of their success as on Monday the Lady Red Birds were ranked No. 15 in Class 6A by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and Tex Preps Basketball Magazine.
So far their only loss of the season has come against San Antonio Clark during the McAllen Border Bash Tournament on Nov. 21. The Lady Cougars, meanwhile, are 14-0 and are ranked just ahead of Harlingen at No. 14.
The Lady Cardinals are led by a bevy of seniors, including Addison Dickey, Marissa Gasca, Sami Quilantan and Elvira Fraga.
With so much veteran experience at its disposal, much is expected of this year’s squad, especially in the postseason where the team has struggled the past couple of years.
In 2013-14, the Lady Cards finished with a 25-9 mark, but were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs after a heartbreaking last-second 40-39 loss to Laredo United.
The 2014-15 team also had a great season, finishing at 30-5 but, once again, was ousted in the second round after a 66-42 loss to Laredo United South.
The last time the Lady Cards reached the regional tournament was during the 2012-13 season when the team’s current seniors were just freshmen. That season, the team beat Weslaco East, Edinburg and Los Fresnos before losing to San Antonio Steele in the Sweet 16.
The Lady Cards are off this entire week and don’t return to the court until Dec. 8 when they face Brownsville St. Joseph on the road before beginning District 32-6A play at home against Brownsville Rivera on Dec. 11.
While the Lady Cards are the highest ranked girls team in this week’s state poll, they are not alone.
Edinburg (12-3) is ranked No. 19 and Weslaco (6-1), which Harlingen beat 65-41 on Nov. 17, is ranked No. 23.
Four Valley boys teams also made the grade. In Class 6A, Brownsville Veterans (6-0) is ranked No. 23 and Harlingen South (1-0) is in at No. 25. The Hawks opened the season on Nov. 24 with an impressive 34-18 win over McAllen. Their home opener is tonight at 7:30 p.m. against Edinburg Ecomomedes.
Meanwhile, in Class 5A, Edinburg Vela (5-1) is No. 24 while in Class 2A, the 6-0 San Isidro Tigers are ranked No. 14.