By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
With seven returners back this year, Hidalgo coach Kay Dee Benavides believes she has the “foundational” pieces in place to surpass what the team accomplished in 2015.
So far, that has held true. The Lady Pirates are 4-2 in district and on pace to make the playoffs, unlike last season when they finished fifth — one spot shy of the postseason. Kill leader Karla Cantu and Stephanie Ysasi have been the catalyst, with Hidalgo turning to their one-punch for consistent scoring all year.
Benavides attributes the team’s familiarity to one another, and their workout regimen, to the turnaround in Year 2.
“Definitely more confident this year,” Benavides said. “I’m sure every team and every coach says they work the hardest, but I feel we do. We hit the weights heavy twice a week, we do tons of jumps and hits so I think they know that they’re ready.”
While there was an adjustment period last year with the coaches and players trying to get in sync, Hidalgo no longer finds itself trying to build that cohesion. The Lady Pirates have come out of the gates determined to challenge for one of the top seeds in district.
Just as Ysasi has been a reliable source of scoring this year, Hidalgo faces some uncertainty the next three matches while the senior recovers from injury. How the Lady Pirates comes together in her absence will be determined tonight when they travel to take on Grulla.
“The rest of the team is going to have to step up,” Benavides said. “We have to see if they’re going to go get it or sit back and let it go. Hopefully the team can come together and pick up where she left off.”
RELYING ON DEFENSE
With four returning back-row players, McAllen Rowe finds itself thriving defensively this season.
During the offseason, coach Magna Canales encouraged her players to compete during the summer without a coach as a way to better learn to make tactical changes on their own accord. So far, Canales said, that appears to be paying off, with her core defensive unit leading the way.
“They’re more mature,” Canales said. “They’re becoming more students of the game. They were able to see the overall picture (during the summer because) they didn’t have someone to tell them where to go or where to cover, where to position themselves between the split on the block. So they had to figure that out.”
Between Kayla Cruz, Brianna Chaidez, Andrea Gomez and Karina De La Rosa, the Lady Warriors have been able to maintain themselves as playoff contenders, even with the loss of key players, such as by Mayda Garcia. They’re 23-13 overall and 3-1 in district as they head into tonight’s match against La Joya High.
With Garcia gone, Rowe finds itself in somewhat of a “rebuilding” phase. Finding a source for scoring has been challenging at times, Canales said, as the team has continued to search for its most productive rotation. Their lack of height also poses a problem, particularly against taller teams like McAllen High and McAllen Memorial, both of whom are vying for a District 30-6A title.
But Canales remains encouraged, nonetheless, as she continues to try to develop a well-rounded roster.
“There’s a lot of things we work on in practice,” Canales said. “There’s different shots, different angles of attack. Different heights on sets. I preach to the kids that I don’t want a one-dimensional player. They need to be able to pull different shots at any given time. Those are the things they work on in practice. And they continue to train here and on their own. They’re working hard.”
With Saturday’s match against McAllen Memorial, McAllen Rowe will look ahead to the second round of district play.