By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
The St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds are ranked No. 19 in the weekly Texas Association of Basketball Coaches top 25 poll for large private schools.
Their position on the poll is up two spots from last week’s No. 21 ranking.
“It’s nice that the kids get recognition,” St. Joseph coach Sam Lucio said. “It’s good they get noticed for the hard work they put in.”
The Bloodhounds (16-6, 1-0 in TAPPS) recently began district play with a 46-33 win over the San Antonio St. Anthony Yellow Jackets on Jan. 17.
“I’m satisfied with the way we’ve been playing, but there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Lucio said. “We’ve still got five district games ahead of us.”
Up next on St. Joseph’s schedule are the San Antonio Antonian Apaches (21-8, 1-0). The Apaches are ranked No. 15 in the most recent TABC poll, and Lucio thinks the game will test his team.
“(San Antonio Antonian is) one of the powerhouses in our district,” he said. “They’re ranked in the same poll as us, and they’re bringing back some players from last year.”
The Bloodhounds will look to add to their state-recognized résumé when they tip off against the Apaches at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at home.
HAWKS GIVE UP GROUND
The Harlingen South Hawks lost Tuesday to the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers, narrowing the gap between the two teams in the District 32-6A standings.
The Hawks (12-12, 4-2 in district) are now in a three-team tie for second place in the district with the Chargers (15-9, 4-2) and the San Benito Greyhounds (13-12, 4-2).
“I told our kids, we’ve just got to keep taking care of ourselves, we need to win ball games at home and hopefully we can steal one or two on the road,” Harlingen South coach Brian Molina said. “It’s going to be tough to win on the road in this district. We’ve seen that firsthand (at Brownsville Veterans Memorial), and then when we lost to Hanna in a close one over there. Just as long as we can take care of ourselves at home, hopefully we’ll be all right for the playoffs.”
The district season is nearing the halfway point, and with the Hanna Golden Eagles (16-4, 5-1) dropping their first district game of the season Tuesday to San Benito, the top spot is still within reach of a number of teams.
PACE ON A ROLL
The Pace Vikings extended their perfect District 32-5A record with a 46-41 win over the Mercedes Tigers on Tuesday.
The Vikings (14-9, 6-0 in district) are in a battle with the Donna High Redskins (15-10, 6-0) for the top spot in the district.
The two teams will meet to close out the first half of district when they face each other at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Donna High. The winner will hold sole possession of first place with seven games remaining.
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.