BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
LAREDO — The Rio Grande City Rattlers were in control for the first 26 minutes on Friday, but the final six cost them.
The San Antonio Harlandale Indians prevailed 56-51 over RGC in a Class 5A area round game at Texas A&M International.
The Rattlers faithful in attendance appeared to pin the loss on officiating, booing the referees incessantly. RGC hit 6 of 12 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and was whistled for a technical foul despite a no-call against Harlandale on a similar play. The Indians also hit some big shots in key moments.
“We started off moving the ball around, feeding it inside to (senior center Rodrigo Nuñez),” RGC coach Juan Aldape said. “We were able to dictate when to push, when to throw it inside and when to swing it around. I thought we were in control pretty much most of the game. But, my hat’s off to Harlandale. They are a hell of a team. They never stopped fighting.”
Harlandale advances to the third round for the first time in school history.
“It feels really good,” Harlandale senior center Bryce Carter said. “We have never been there before, so it will be a new experience. But, we are ready.”
Coming down the stretch, the Rattlers still looked like the team in charge. They led early in the fourth and connected on a few 3s. But, with 5:25 left in the game, the Indians hit back-to-back 3-pointers to balloon their lead to four.
After a timeout, RGC couldn’t get its offense going, and Harlandale got the ball back. Carter caught a pass just outside the paint, gathered and went up for a monstrous dunk. Nuñez did his best to prevent the basket, but Carter fought through the contact to slam it home, and he was rewarded with a foul shot. To that point, Carter was 1 of 5 from the charity stripe, but he converted on the and-one.
“That kind of ignited us,” Harlandale coach Eric de los Santos said. “That dunk is going to go down as one of the best dunks in Harlandale history. It’s one of the most important baskets, for sure. And that got us going, and we just didn’t look back after that.”
Rio Grande City sophomore guard Aaron Marroquin hurt his ankle in the team’s bi-district game against Edcouch-Elsa.
“I thought I was going to be good,” Marroquin said. “Just when I touched the floor, I knew I wasn’t good. Once I turned over the ball in the first two minutes. I wasn’t jumping. I just wasn’t having a good day.”
Marroquin took the loss harder than anyone. He was the last out of the locker room, and he was still visibly limping.
“You know how kids are. They will never tell you how bad it is,” Aldape said. “He’s a young kid. At times he tries too hard, too much. God knows, maybe he is 70 percent, 80 percent. I won’t find out. He just wants to play.”
Marroquin could hardly walk, but he brought down rebounds, defended the paint and made a few crucial steals.
“It’s tough,” junior guard Jaime Covarrubias said. “We all go through injuries in life. It’s good that he is a sophomore, and I know he’s a tough kid. He will make a better comeback next year.”
Covarrubias and Marroquin are the only two starters who will return next season, but senior Izrael Lambert believes the team will be ready to roll when the year begins.
“They will be good,” he said. “They just have to keep working, and they will be a great team.”
The Rattlers started the season with a lot of depth, but one by one, players started to drop. Come playoff time, the Rattlers dressed eight players, affectionately known as the “elite eight.”
Nuñez, Marroquin, Lambert, Covarrubias, Frank Gonzalez, Mario Gonzalez, Rudy Bazan and Josh Garcia form that group. All eight played Friday in the team’s final game together.
“We are bi-district champs,” Marroquin said. “Now, everybody knows about the ‘elite eight.’ All our seniors and everything. Now, they know that we are good.”
Rio Grande City scored the first points of the game on a dump to Nuñez, who finished with an easy layup.
Then, the Rattlers started to get a little sloppy, missing transition layups. Nuñez even missed a slam. The officials were active, and by halftime Lambert, Frank Gonzalez and Marroquin each had two fouls.
Nuñez finished with 18 points. Covarrubias added 13, Frank and Mario Gonzalez each scored seven and Marroquin had three.
“This season meant everything to me,” Nuñez said. “This is what I do on a daily basis — play basketball. I’m always in the gym. I’m always with these guys. I created a bond with these guys that I have with no one else. I’m always with them. They are like a second family. We always go out. We had a great season. First time in the playoffs in a long time.”
“It’s been a long ride,” Lambert added. “We started off as a big group, and it came down to this eight. It became like a brotherhood. We fought our hearts out. Blood, sweat, tears, everything. It has been a great ride.”
The Rattlers’ focus shifts to next year, and the work will begin shortly. But the memories of what this group of eight talented, hungry players from Rio Grande City did this year will never fade.
“I have so many memories with these guys — messing around in practice, the bus rides. I will never forget it,” Marroquin said. “We have a lot of potential. I want to make all of the seniors proud. They told us to make a tradition of winning. I disappointed them today, so I will make the most out of it next year. We can make the playoffs again and get back here.”