BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
SAN ANTONIO — Edinburg Vela hung tough with Cibolo Steele through three quarters, but the SaberCats went ice cold in the fourth.
Timely 3-point shooting had been the SaberCats’ calling card during the regular season and throughout the playoffs. A third quarter 3-pointer by Edinburg Vela junior guard Bobby Espericueta brought the SaberCats within a point, but they never inched closer.
Cibolo Steele downed Edinburg Vela 68-58 in a Class 6A regional semifinal game Friday in San Antonio.
“It was unfortunate,” Edinburg Vela coach Lucio Rodriguez said. “Maybe it was my lack of experience in a situation like this. I haven’t watched tonight’s film yet, but maybe we could have done some things different tonight. We could have run something towards Noah (Sekinger) or some isolation through Josh (Diaz). We had the pick-and-roll rolling with that short roll with Austin (Garza). We were getting that corner 3-pointer a lot. We just didn’t knock enough down.”
In Tuesday’s regional quarterfinal win against Laredo United, the SaberCats made their first five shots from the field. Edinburg Vela appeared to be off to a hot start again Friday, jumping out to a 5-0 lead, but Steele scored 14 unanswered points to take a lead it would never relinquish.
“We rushed up some shots and didn’t take care of the ball the way we usually have,” Edinburg Vela forward Noah Sekinger said. “I think that goes back to fatigue. A lot of us were tired, but we gave it our all. That’s all I could ask for from my guys and our coaching staff.”
Espericueta struggled offensively in Vela’s win on Tuesday, but he bounced back against Cibolo Steele. He scored 17 points with 15 of them coming via the 3-point shot.
“Coach (Rodriguez) told me to be confident out there and to shoot the ball when it was available,” Espericueta said. “These guys (Cibolo Steele) were tough, so we knew we weren’t going to get much inside. I trusted my teammates to knock those shots down against Laredo United and they trusted me to make some tonight.”
Sekinger was terrific in the paint for Edinburg Vela (28-11). The senior tried to keep his team and career alive, scoring 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half.
Sekinger is one of a few SaberCat seniors on the roster who have witnessed the highest of highs and lowest of lows. The Edinburg Vela program enjoyed a historic berth in the Class 5A state semifinals in 2016, a disqualification from playoff competition in 2017, two new head coaches during his junior and senior campaigns, and now, a return to the Class 6A Region IV semifinals.
“I couldn’t ask for a better place to play and a better community to give us support,” Sekinger said. “I love the city of Edinburg. They embraced this team. I appreciate all the guys I played with and all the coaches I’ve had. I’ve been a part of a lot of great teams. This team right here is so special to me. They’ll always have a special place in my heart.”
Rodriguez, the 30-year-old, first-year head coach, guided the SaberCats as the last Upper Valley team standing in his rookie season.
“I learned that on any given night, anyone can win,” Rodriguez said. “Anyone can have an opportunity to win a basketball game and tonight we did. Cibolo’s a great team with a great coach, but we missed our opportunities.”