BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
Rio Grande City has won three straight games and is closing in on a playoff spot.
The Rattlers are tied with Laredo Cigarroa for third in District 31-5A, as both teams have a 7-4 record in district.
Rio moved to 7-4 on Tuesday with a decisive 85-53 win against Sharyland Pioneer, a team still fighting for its own playoff life.
“It was big,” Rio coach Juan Aldape said. “The first round, we started 1-2 the first three games. Right now, we are on a three-game win streak with that one. It’s big for momentum to finishing out the season and going over there at Nixon Friday night.”
Rio Grande City faces a tough test in district-leading Laredo Nixon at 7:30 tonight. RGC then faces Mission Veterans, Sharyland High and Valley View before closing out with a home game at 7 p.m. on Feb. 13 against the second-place team in district, Laredo Martin.
The early struggles Aldape highlighted could prove to be a difference-maker during the home stretch.
“You know how they say it’s not too good to peak early?” Aldape said. “Well, I guess we peaked early in the season when we went on that hot streak. And then I don’t think we dropped down, but we had some tough losses where we learned from them. Hopefully, that will help us finish out the second round strong.”
Senior center Rodrigo Nuñez is regarded as one of the best frontcourt players in the Valley. Last year, the 6-foot-8 athletic big man led the Valley in points per game (20.2) and ranked third in rebounds per game (10.9).
This year, Nuñez’s stats are down just a tick (16.7 points, 7.1 rebounds), but that’s not because he is playing any worse, Aldape said.
“Rodrigo gets the ball, and here comes the double team, or even the triple team here and there,” Aldape said. “Luckily, Rodrigo has been fortunate to hit his teammates, and they have been finishing. We don’t rely so much on him, because the other guys are chipping in their part, as well. To where, he doesn’t have to be a 25-30 point a game player. Everybody is chipping in. We have four players scoring in double digits.”
Sophomore guard Aaron Marroquin has been a big piece to the puzzle for the Rattlers this year. Marroquin played on varsity last year, and that experience has helped him take his game to the next level this season.
“His freshman year was a lot of learning, but he learned quick, and he is very basketball savvy,” Aldape said. “And then playing with these kids with Rod and Jaime (Covarrubias) and Frankie (Gonzalez), the IQ of basketball is just so high, and they just know when to hit those open gaps. With them doing that, Aaron has been able to find his groove.”
Marroquin is averaging 11.1 points per game this season.
With a tough finish to the season ahead, the Rattlers cannot afford any letup. That’s why Aldape has been hammering home one point in particular.
“It’s still anybody’s game,” Aldape said. “I told the kids, ‘Let’s play one game at a time, and then after that, we will see what happens. But, we can’t look forward, or we can’t count on things to stay the same.’ This is high school basketball. Upsets are bound to happen, anywhere and everywhere. So, we just have to take care of our part and see how the last few games play out.”