By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial is hoping the third time will be a charm.
For the past two seasons, the Lady Chargers have finished second in the district standings behind Harlingen High.
The Lady Chargers also are hoping to advance to at least the third round of the playoffs. Their journey has been halted during the last two seasons by Laredo Alexander.
With an excellent trio of players returning this season, including All-Metro and All-Valley selections Jordan Rudd and Briana Cortez, and All-Metro newcomer Hannah Meyers, Brownsville Veterans hopes to change that.
The talented Rudd returns as a junior and the team’s point guard after averaging 10.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals and dished out 4.3 assists per game last year. Cortez, now a senior, averaged 10 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals last season, and Meyers averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds during her freshman year.
The Lady Chargers have four starters and a skilled bench that returns with plenty of playoff experience and could get them over that playoff hill. Brownsville Veterans is scheduled to play in some early tournaments with plenty of talent to help them get prepared for the upcoming District 32-6A season.
“Our expectations are high,” Brownsville Veterans coach Valentin Paz said. “Our biggest thing is to get ready for district and make the playoffs. You don’t win district or championships in the preseason, but you have to get ready.”
With a talented squad returning with another year of experience, the Lady Chargers have the tools to reach their goals.
“As a team our goal is and has been to get to the Sweet 16,” Paz said. “Our first goal is to win district and our second goal is to advance to the third round.”
HANNA
Hanna is looking to earn a postseason berth after falling just short at the end of last season.
The Lady Golden Eagles return with plenty of experience for Hanna coach Luis Gonzalez, who is set to begin his second season.
A trio of seniors, including starters Carolina Moreno and Dahlia Reyes and reserve Pam Ellis return, as does junior Sofia Salinas, and sophomore Ryann Wood. All are expected to play a lot of minutes this season.
The Lady Eagles have a good mix of upperclassmen and young players, including an excellent shooter in Rey Ocampo and a freshman, Mia Paz, who could surprise a lot of people.
“The girls have been working hard,” Hanna coach Luis Gonzalez said. “I think the key for us is defensively. I think we’ll score enough points, we just have to defend. It’s just an attitude that the girls have to take. We need to make stops at the end of games to get a couple more wins in order to make the playoffs.”
RIVERA
Rivera has six players, including a handful of seniors who return this season. Unfortunately for the Lady Raiders, senior Kassandra Garcia and sophomore Litzy Medina are injured as the new season begins.
Medina is expected to return in the next few weeks and Garcia, who averaged six points and 11 rebounds per game last year, hopes to be back in early December.
The other four seniors — Darcy Cardenas (seven points and five assists, second-team all-district selection) Gisel Hinojosa (four points and six rebounds), Ulyssa Alvarado (three points and 10 rebounds) and reserve Jenny Cardenas — were each honorable mention all-district selections last year.
Rivera coach Willie Brown starts his second season guiding the team, and the Lady Raiders have plenty of experience to hopefully improve upon three district wins last season.
“We’re optimistic about our chances,” he said. “We have an uphill battle because everybody is a lot better than they were last year. We’ve got a good nucleus of players, we just need some depth and that’s what we’re working on.
“With another year of experience, they’re more confident in the things they’re doing now.”
LOS FRESNOS
Los Fresnos had its ups and downs but managed to claim a playoff spot last season.
The Lady Falcons hope to improve upon last season and move up the district standings.
Los Fresnos coach Kim Edquist has a senior-laden team with plenty of experience returning, including her backcourt of Kelsi McDonough (eight points, four assists and two steals per game) and Cristi Garza (five points, one assist and three steals).
Others returning are seniors Lynette Duran (six points, two assists, two steals), Aaliyah Flores, Dori Alcalde and Amy Ruiz and junior Cassie Parra.
The Lady Falcons have three returning starters, and of the nine seniors on the team all have varsity experience except for two. The team hopes it can lower the number of turnovers and get better defensively this season with a mix of experience on this year’s squad.
“I expect more of them (this season),” Los Fresnos coach Kim Edquist said. “It’s up to them whether they turn that around and improve on the things that we didn’t do well (last season).
“Chemistry can make you or break you. I think we need to continue building on that, but I think we’ll start to jell at the right time in December with district play.”
PORTER
Porter returns plenty of experience, including four starters and three off the bench. Two sophomores who played JV last season are also expected to see playing time this year.
The Cowgirls’ top returners are a pair of seniors in Danielle Ocampo, a three-year starter who averaged 10 points and five rebounds last season, and Marquel Rivera, who scored six points and dished out three assists per game.
Porter also is anticipating Vallerie Jimenez to make her debut for the Cowgirls. The junior transferred from Rivera last year and is eligible to play in Jan. 2016.
“I have a lot of trust and faith in the girls that are coming up, they’re dedicated,” Porter coach Tony Saavedra said. “We lost three or four games under four points, so they know what it takes now to win. They know what they have to do in practice and during the games to win. They know what they have to do to be better.
“I expect a bounceback year this year.”
PACE
Pace made the playoffs last season to break a postseason drought. And the Lady Vikings expect to return this year.
Pace returns a pair of starters in Valerie Varela, who had 158 points, 152 rebounds and 41 blocked shots last year, and junior Nadia Mendoza, who finished with 152 points, 108 rebounds and 108 steals one year ago.
Other returners for the Lady Vikings include senior Jessica Aguilar, juniors Katelynn Quezada and Ebony Casanova, and sophomore Kryssie Rivera.
Aguillar is expected to come off the bench and provide a spark with her shooting ability, and Casanova is slated to be the team’s point guard. There also are a few girls getting moved up to varsity from the freshmen and JV squads that won district last season.
“This girls and I are excited,” Pace coach Kris Metzmaker said. “I think we’ll have one of the better shooting teams than we’ve had before. I think, heart of hearts, that we’re going to do really well this year.”
LOPEZ
Lopez returns a lot of experience from a down year last season.
The Lady Lobos returns four starters and three others who came off the bench.
The Lopez starters include Imelda Garcia, who averaged 14 points and six assists and was named a first-team all district selection last year, and Yadia Mejia, who scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds per game. Reyna Medrano and Suzie Pizana also return to the starting lineup for the Lady Lobos.
Stacy Villafranca, Nayeli Perez, and Clarissa Renteria are very good reserves who will play some big minutes for Lopez this season.
Lopez coach Stephen Davis is now in his second season and feels the Lady Lobos are going to be a better squad this year.
“I feel like we’re going to be a very competitive basketball team,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s going to translate into making the playoffs, but I feel we’ll be right there in the mix at the end of the season. The girls are ready.”
PORT ISABEL
Port Isabel made the playoffs last season and hopes to return to the postseason once again this year.
The Lady Tarpons return two starters and both are seniors this season.
Guard Alex Martinez, the All-Metro defensive player of the year, averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 steals, and Karina Vela, who averaged 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, returns to the post.
Port Isabel has five others who return with varsity experience. The Lady Tarpons lost a big part of their offensive production in Kelcie Swink, a first-team All-Metro selection.
The Lady Tarpons must find more scoring this season, but they hope to create it with defense.
“I feel really good about the team this year,” Port Isabel coach Blake Ramsey said. “I definitely have a lot of speed, and that fits in with our defensive philosophy. The girls understand the expectations and know that defense has to be our staple. If we can get steals and create turnovers and score easy points in transition, we’re going to be pretty tough.”
ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY
St. Joseph Academy has four returning starters this season, and each of them returns for their junior season.
Guards Valeria Tapia, Diana Garcia and Ceci De La Garza and post player Frannie Huerta have another year of experience and are ready to lead the Lady Bloodhounds.
Tapia averaged 11.3 points and six steals per game, and Garcia averaged 10.6 points and three steals per game. Each was first-team all district, each was a part of The Herald’s All-Metro team, and each earned TAPPS all-state honors last season.
Tapia also competed in a FIBA basketball age-group tournament this summer in South America and, St. Joseph coach Cynthia Martinez said, “She came back a different basketball player.”
The Lady Bloodhounds also welcome a trio of newcomers, Caro Gomez, Lauren Salazar and Camryn Gloor.
“I’m anticipating a fun year with these girls,” Martinez said. “We have some high expectations of them. We started out intense, a lot more intense than we did last year.”
FIRST BAPTIST
Former assistant Marty Bogart takes over at the helm for Terry Roberts, who led the team to the TAPPS Class 1A state title game then decided to step down after last season.
The Crusaders lost the state championship to Granbury North Central Texas Academy, which won its fifth straight title.
Bogart lost a trio of seniors who helped First Baptist get to the title game, but returns with a trio of underclassmen who were the team’s top scorers: Sandy Masso (10.9 points), Adrea Barrios (7.7) and Haley Boone (6.0).
The Crusaders have three other returners to their varsity squad.
“We’re going to have a much tougher time in district,” First Baptist coach Marty Bogart said. “Our expectations are to hopefully make the playoffs and hone our skills, and use the talent we have to do as good or better than last year. But we’re going to work hard, and they have my commitment.”
IDEA FRONTIER
Lady Chargers coach Victor Leija did not respond to emails requesting information about returning players or for the upcoming season.
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.