By JOSHUA McKINNEY, Staff Writer
The Metro area is well-represented in the UIL boys basketball playoffs this year after a strong year of basketball from area teams.
Five teams are slated for bi-district games, including District 32-6A champion Los Fresnos, District 32-5A champ Pace, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Porter and IDEA Frontier.
Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez says his kids were quick to turn their eyes to topping last year’s first-round exit in the playoffs.
“(The turnaround) was pretty quick, because taking care of business means accomplishing a goal but then looking forward to what’s next,” Ramirez said. “I think our kids kind of had a time to take a deep breath and breathe a little bit because there was a lot of pressure of getting that (district) title first, but it took a lot of effort and a lot of teamwork.”
Now it’s a start of a season where every game is potentially the last, and the Vikings aren’t taking their bi-district round opponent for granted. Valley View is the fourth seed from District 31-5A, and Ramirez thinks the Tigers are good enough to be a top-seeded team.
“Valley View’s a tough team, and they may be the fourth seed but they’re not a fourth-place team by any measure,” Ramirez said. “They’re just as good as anybody in that district and for a long time they were in second place, so we’re approaching this game like they’re the toughest team in that district and it’s a championship game.
“We feel good that it’s at home and we’ve come this far,” he added. “We’re definitely not satisfied and we know we’re up for the challenge. This is the fun time of the year.”
The Vikings are set to play host to Valley View in the Class 5A bi-district round at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Pace.
The area’s other district champ, Los Fresnos, is gearing up to face what Falcons coach Marco Hinojosa says is another tough fourth-seed opponent.
“Kids are focused and excited to play in front of their home crowd come Tuesday,” Hinojosa said. “We know (Weslaco) East is a very good team that has won 23 games. We will need to bring our ‘A’ game if we want to be successful Tuesday.”
The Falcons face Weslaco East in the Class 6A bi-district round at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, and Hinojosa likes the way the Falcons match up with their first-round opponent. He says both teams are dependent on outstanding guard play and like the shoot 3s.
Los Fresnos is focused, and Hinojosa doesn’t expect his club to coast through the game after running through District 32-6A play with a 13-1 record.
“Kids (focus on) their own,” he said. “They are a mature team. They don’t want their season to end. Practices are still very competitive and focus is still there. With that being said, we still need to show up come Tuesday night where it matters.”
One week off from play might be the key for Brownsville Veterans Memorial to make a deep playoff run.
Brownsville Veterans, 32-6A’s No. 2 seed in the playoffs after winning a coin flip with Harlingen South, plays Edinburg High at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Edinburg High.
“I feel that we are playing well right (now), and this break gives us a little time to get over some little nicks and bruises,” Brownsville Veterans coach Larry Gibson said.
The Chargers are making their second straight playoff trip after a bi-district round exit to Weslaco High last season.
After securing District 32-5A’s fourth playoff spot, the Porter Cowboys are confident heading into a first-round game against Edinburg Vela, one of the Rio Grande Valley’s best.
“I would have to say I feel really good about our chances,” Porter coach Luis Garza said. “We lost the site, the day. The odds of losing three challengers or contest are in our favor. That’s a betting man’s view.”
Porter takes on Edinburg Vela at 7 p.m. Monday at Edinburg Vela. The Sabercats are the ninth-ranked team in the latest Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 5A poll.
Garza said his team is ready for the challenge of playing in Porter’s first playoff game in three years.
IDEA Frontier made it back-to-back playoff trips after a 42-36 win over Edinburg IDEA Quest in the teams’ District 32-3A finale.
The win sends the Chargers into a bi-district matchup against the 31-3A district champion Falfurrias at 7 p.m. Tuesday at PSJA North.
Jerry De La Garza, IDEA Frontier’s coach, says the kids are confident heading into a showdown with one of the region’s top programs in Falfurrias, which advanced to the Region IV-3A finals last season.
“That’s the type of team we are,” De La Garza said. “We want to play the best. We believe we can compete with anybody. The beauty of the playoffs is that records and seeding do not matter. Any team can win at any time.”
Joshua McKinney covers high school sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @joshuabvherald.