EDINBURG — Edinburg Vela graduated all five starters and the team’s top 10 scorers from last year’s District 31-6A championship squad.
An entirely new group of SaberCats stepped into key roles this season and found a way to uphold the winning tradition set at Edinburg Vela by bringing home the District 31-5A championship.
“It’s a new group on the floor, so I’m proud of what they were able to accomplish this year. They bought into what we’re trying to do. They bought into their roles, they bought into being a team and they were able to see the fruits of their labor with a district championship,” Vela head coach Lucio Rodriguez said.
Add a bi-district win to the fruits of their labor for this year’s Edinburg Vela team that is coming off a 54-47 playoff victory against Brownsville Pace on Tuesday in Round 1.
Now, Edinburg Vela is preparing for an area-round test against Corpus Christi Flour Bluff at 6 p.m. today at Falfurrias High School. McAllen High also is set to play against Corpus Christi Veterans in an area-round playoff game at 8 p.m., also at Falfurrias High School.
“We’re a young team and there were a lot of spots open, so we had to fill a lot of shoes. At the beginning of the season, we had a lot of games against tough teams, so we took those losses to grow as a team to get better so we can compete in our district and the playoffs,” junior guard EJ Avelar said.
| Edinburg Vela’s EJ Avelar (10) drives to the basket against PSJA North in a District 31-5A game at PSJA North High School on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, in Pharr. (Joel Martinez | [email protected]) Joel Martinez |
The SaberCats put together a 23-15 overall record and a 16-2 mark in league play to win District 31-5A.
Junior forward Axel Garza has come into his own as a versatile threat who can play down low, but also has the skills to bring the ball up the floor and hit teammates for good looks. He can also shoot from deep, including a pair of big 3s during an 8-0 fourth-quarter scoring run by himself in the win against Pace on Tuesday.
He’s averaging 15.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He credited Rodriguez for giving the SaberCats a solid foundation of which to build.
“I wasn’t always like this — I was a chubby, little post,” Garza said. “It was toward my sophomore year, I kind of grew and kept working on my handles. It allowed me to help my team out and, little by little, they kind of put their trust in me and said, ‘You’re our best scorer, here’s the ball,’ so I try to take pressure off of them and help us out anyway I can.”
Avelar ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game while also grabbing 4.3 rebounds. He’s also taken the role of Vela’s defensive stopper on the perimeter, often tasked with guarding the opposition’s top scorer.
Sophomore guard JP Olivarez is in his first year with the SaberCats after transferring from Edcouch-Elsa. He’s put up 8.8 points and 3.8 assists a night. The way he knifes through defenses to attack the paint and draw attention to himself opens things for everyone else on the floor wearing a Vela jersey.
“I try to put them in the best position to get the ball in the hole,” he said.
| Edinburg Vela’s JP Olivarez (3) attempts a basket against PSJA North in a District 31-5A game at PSJA North High School on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, in Pharr. (Joel Martinez | [email protected]) Joel Martine |
Jonathan Campos is the only senior starter on the team and mans the center position along with Aiden Lopez, which allows Garza to play inside and out. Sam Sepulveda is scoring 6.5 points per game and gives the SaberCats another solid option at the guard spot.
The SaberCats will have to be at their best when they face Flour Bluff in the area round. The Hornets (25-11, 8-2) finished third in District 29-5A and defeated Laredo Martin 47-28 in Round 1 to set up the area matchup against Edinburg Vela.
“They’re an aggressive team. They got some bigger guys, so we’re going to prepare and we’re going to be ready,” Avelar said.