By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
SAN ANTONIO — Shortly after beating Alamo Heights in the regional semifinals, Edinburg Vela coach Lalo Rios staked out a courtside seat at the Blossom Athletic Center and began scribbling notes.
The adrenaline from winning the program’s biggest game to date had not yet worn off before the SaberCats’ coaching staff took in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader, where they learned their opponent in Saturday’s regional final.
Though the quick turnaround did not allow for extensive scouting, Vela saw enough during that 32-minute sample to formulate a game plan. They intended to slow a run-and-gun Laredo Nixon team by forcing them into a half-court offense, and the SaberCats accomplished precisely that as they posted a 58-48 victory to advance to the UIL state tournament.
Vela not only was the last Valley team still standing in the UIL playoffs on Saturday, after Santa Rosa lost to Aransas Pass. But the SaberCats were also the Valley’s first Class 5A team to reach the UIL state tournament.
They did it against a Nixon team with which they shared several commonalities, from the fast-break style of play to their penchant for hoisting 3-pointers.
“It was a game to see who could do it better,” Vela’s Ryan Garza said, “and we came out on top.”
Garza scored 10 of his game-high 18 points during the opening quarter, as the SaberCats ripped off a 25-6 lead. Though Vela was outscored every quarter from there, it had enough to sustain a series of runs, particularly in the second half, to secure its ticket to state semifinal Thursday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Rather than press the length of the floor, as they usually do, the SaberCats settled into a half-court defensive set, forcing Nixon (30-8) to play at a slower pace. It didn’t prevent the Mustangs from shooting the long ball at their usual rate. They attempted 12 during the opening half, and converted only two. After that, however, Nixon sank five from deep, including back-to-back 3s to cut the deficit 41-36 with 7:30 to play.
Vela staved off that push by continually drawing contact and converting 11 of 20 free throws in the final quarter. Nixon did not attempt one during that stretch.
“We tried to change the tempo,” Garza said. “We tried to show we were a basketball team that can adapt to the different game flows, and do what it takes to win.”
Chris Ochoa was the most frequent visitor to the foul line that quarter, making 5 of 10 tries during the fourth quarter to finish with 8 points.
“Our deal was to slow them down and make them play offense,” Rios said. “They get a lot of points in transitions, press, traps. We wanted them to slow it down. We didn’t want them getting open looks.
“We wanted to crowd them and make them have to attack the basket. If they did that, we weren’t going to help. If they were going to get 2s, they were going to get 2s, but we weren’t going to give them 3s.”
Vela, by contrast, was more effective from behind the arc. It finished with six 3-pointers, including five in the opening quarter. Hector Ruiz, who finished with 15 points, had his hand in one. As did Mike Garcia, who added 7 points.
Now, the SaberCats, ranked No. 8 in the state by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, will await today’s announcement to learn the UIL’s state semifinal pairings.
Vela is undefeated in 2016, having won 16 games in a row, including No. 15 Alamo Heights in the regional semifinals and No. 16 Laredo Nixon in the regional finals. On Thursday, it’ll enter the Alamodome as one of four Class 5A teams in Texas still alive in the playoffs.
“It’s crazy,” Garza said. “We break (out of huddles) to ‘state!’ So to be going there, it’s amazing.”