BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
MISSION — Rio Grande City has such a strong starting unit that even when senior guard Izrael Lambert has a great all-around game, including 19 points, he still doesn’t lead the team in scoring.
That’s because the Rattlers are like the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, in that on any given night, any one of their starters can carry the load. Or, they can share it among the five on the court.
“I think we feel really good because of our defense,” sophomore guard Aaron Marroquin said. “I think we match up well with everyone. There is not a single team that we are afraid of. We can match up to everyone. We have defense, we have speed, and we have (height).”
That defense-first mentality was what sparked Lambert on Tuesday, as Rio cruised to a 71-51 win at Sharyland High School.
“Lambert played a hell of a game,” Rio coach Juan Aldape said. “He’s our defensive specialist. He’s the one that takes the role of guarding the best guys. He knows that, and today he stepped it up on offense, too. He was there jumping with them from beginning to the end. I think he went toe-to-toe in points with Fernandez.”
Junior guard Mauro Fernandez is putting together an outstanding year for the downtrodden Sharyland High Rattlers, who are out of playoff contention. Fernandez is averaging 16.9 points per game through 28 games. The next leading scorer for Sharyland, senior Ernesto Robinson, is averaging 5.4 points per game in only 24 games.
Fernandez still scored 20 on Tuesday, but he earned every basket, and Lambert prevented Fernandez from hitting the shots that could have changed the momentum of the game.
“He played very good defense,” Marroquin said of his teammate. “Coach told us to keep (Fernandez) in check, and (Lambert) did that all four quarters. (Fernandez) can score, because he’s a scorer, but he kept him in check.”
“I was just hoping to contain his shooting,” Lambert said. “His drives are all right, but the shooting is what he’s better at. That’s what I was trying to defend the most. It was hard on those pick and rolls, but I had to fight through them.”
Rio jumped out to an early lead, was up 22-7 at the close of the first quarter and never really looked back.
Lambert was one point away from a game-high point total of 20, which was scored by both Marroquin and Fernandez. Rio senior center Rodrigo Nuñez added 17.
Rio has an outright hold on third place in District 31-5A at 9-5, but Roma and Laredo Cigarroa could still potentially push for that spot with two games remaining. RGC closes out the season with Valley View and Laredo Martin, who ranks second in district.
“We just have to take care of business, worry about our games, and that way we don’t need help from anybody else,” Aldape said. “That next game with Valley View makes us sit pretty on that spot.”
Making the playoffs means a lot to this team.
“It would be very fantastic,” Lambert said. “It would be the first time in — I don’t know how many years — first time in a while.”
Five years, to be exact.