EDINBURG — Edinburg Vela and Brownsville Pace battled back and forth for the first three quarters of their Region IV-5A bi-district playoff matchup Tuesday night at Edinburg Vela High School.
Then, Axel Garza took over.
The SaberCats’ junior forward closed the third quarter by drawing two fouls on made baskets through contact, then he scored Vela’s first eight points of the fourth quarter with a pair of dagger 3-pointers to help seal a 54-47 victory over the Vikings.
Edinburg Vela (24-12, 16-2) advances to the area round to face Corpus Christi Flour Bluff. Brownsville Pace’s season comes to an end at 26-12 overall.
“The first half was just nerves, just nervous for a playoff game, so you saw some easy shots missed, but we got into the game, adjusted well and the guys found their rhythm in the second half,” Edinburg Vela head coach Lucio Rodriguez said.
Garza finished with 17 points, 13 of which were scored during the second half. He missed a couple shots around the rim during the first half, but during the third and fourth quarters he was money. He also added seven rebounds, three steals and one block.
“The first half, I was nervous and coach kind of sat me down and said, ‘You know what, the nerves are out the way. It’s time to play basketball the way I know you could play,’” Garza said. “He gave me opportunities, he drew up that play for that second 3 for me and I hit it. I just thank him for the plays.”
EJ Avelar matched Garza with 17 points and five assists. His defense helped the SaberCats keep up with Pace during the second and third quarters.
“All the guys, we do what we have to and if one guy is hot, we have to know when to share the ball and where the hot hand is,” Avelar said. “The ball finds momentum so we just move it around and get guys looks. Sometimes guys do more than others, but we all work as a team to get those guys where we need to be.”
Brownsville Pace’s Tyler Rudder scored a team-high 15 points with eight boards. James Quinones chipped in with nine points and five rebounds.
“We came in here and knew we needed to play our best game yet. They’re a tough team and district champs for a reason. All I asked for is 100% effort and we got that,” Brownsville Pace head coach Jose Luis Ramirez said. “I’m proud of my boys, and I wish Vela the best along the way as they move on. It stings that we lose because we’re competitors and we hate losing more than we love winning, but I guarantee you I’m so proud of my boys.”
Edinburg Vela’s JP Olivarez finished with nine points and dropped four dimes. Sam Sepulveda scored six points, and Jonathan Campos had five points and six rebounds.
The SaberCats will face Flour Bluff in Round 2. The Hornets (25-10, 8-2) defeated Laredo Martin 47-28 in the bi-district round to set up the meeting with Edinburg Vela. Game details are to be determined.