By MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER
The boys basketball bi-district playoffs begin today and several metro-area teams will be in action today and tomorrow.
One of those teams will be the 30-6 Los Fresnos Falcons, who are fresh off a 13-1 District 32-6A campaign which culminated in the program’s fourth-consecutive league crown.
They host the 24-12 Edinburg Economedes Jaguars out of District 31-6A in bi-district action tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
While the Falcons are pleased with the now-familiar result of a district title, they hope this year’s playoffs yield something different: A berth in the Region IV-6A tournament.
“The morale is high and the kids have been working hard,” Los Fresnos head coach Marco Hinojosa said. “They know what their next goal is and that’s to make it to the regional tournament, so there’s still a hunger there in practice and you can see it. They’re doing everything hard and taking every practice as if it were their last, so they’re not taking anything for granted.”
For Los Fresnos, a trip to region means making it past area, which has become a thorn in its side as the second round has spelled the end of its playoff road each of the past three seasons.
This year, the Falcons boast a senior-laden roster led by a pair of four-year players in Jordan Urbina and Andrew Carrizales, who both are determined to right the ship of playoffs past according to Hinojosa.
“The team is older and wiser,” he said. “Jordan (Urbina) and Andrew (Carrizales) have been with me since they were freshmen. They have been through all four championships; they are more experienced, better and a lot hungrier.
They don’t want to leave their senior year not making it past that second round, which has become a hurdle for them, that’s their goal.”
Elsewhere in District 32-6A, the Rivera Raiders (18-13) snuck into the postseason after a 68-62 win over Harlingen High in the Feb. 13 season finale.
They will host the Edinburg Vela Sabercats (19-15) Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
CLASS 5A
Another district champion preparing for a playoff run is the Pace Vikings (27-8), who went undefeated in District 32-5A play this season on their way to a second district title in three years.
The Vikings face the Roma Gladiators (17-16) out of District 31-6A in bi-district tomorrow night at 7 p.m. on the McAllen Rowe campus.
While an exciting time for the young Vikings, they know the pressure is on as they roll in to the postseason on a 14-game winning streak.
“(The players) are a pretty confident group and they’re excited since this is our fourth straight playoffs in a row,” Pace head coach Jose Luis Ramirez said. Ultimately one of the goals was to win a district title, but we know this is a brand new season… the games are for keeps. They are always working really hard and these are by far the hardest working kids I’ve ever had.
“You figure they would relax a little bit, but no, they are still pretty intense… the enthusiasm is still there.”
Ramirez said that despite being a young squad, he saw them grow up in district play and has no trust issues with them as the playoffs get underway.
“I told them that they’re experienced and seen it all,” Ramirez said. “They’ve weathered storms and are battle-tested after everyone in district brought it to us (every game). The kids themselves now show confident as opposed to what used to be a little uncertainty even from my end. Now I know I can count on them and they all want to contribute… that always gives us some comfort.”
The Brownsville Veterans Chargers (17-15) and the Porter Cowboys also will be in action tomorrow night.
Brownsville Veterans finished third in district after finishing the season winning four of its last five district games after starting league play 4-5.
The Chargers will face Laredo Martin (20-13) in bi-district at 7 p.m. on the campus of Corpus Christi Miller.
The Cowboys snuck in after Donna High lost to Edcouch-Elsa last week and are tasked with facing District 31-6A champion Laredo Nixon (29-6). That game is set for 7 p.m. in Roma.
SUB 5A
In the sub-5A districts, IDEA Frontier finished 22-5 and were 6-2 in District 32-3A play, with its only two losses coming to Santa Rosa.
They will now play Falfurrias in the bi-district round at 7 p.m. tomorrow night on the PSJA North campus.
Frontier head coach Jerry De La Garza is confident in his team’s chances heading into tomorrow night.
“We graduated seven players last year and we had a lot of young guys this year and they were ready to play — they’re hungry,” he said. “They are playing to win and we’re looking forward to the playoff game. I feel confident that if out boys go and do what they’re capable of doing, we should be alright.”
In District 32-4A, the Port Isabel Tarpons (18-12) were sharp under first-year coach Mike Hazelton, locking up the second seed after a 9-5 District 32-4A campaign.
They will face Orange Grove tonight at 7 p.m. in Falfurrias.