BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer is starting two freshmen and three sophomores.
District 31-5A did the Diamondbacks no favors by being a nine-team district that started district play in mid-December. Still, Pioneer is starting to blossom, and a new year may indeed bring the Diamondbacks a new look that is ready to compete.
The upstart Diamondbacks beat the rival Sharyland High Rattlers 60-35 on Friday at Sharyland High School.
“It feels good, to be honest with you,” Pioneer coach Rene Gonzalez said. “Every time we play Sharyland it’s always a rivalry. We had some close ones where I think we should have got them, but God had other plans, but it feels good to go into the Christmas break with this one. I still believe my team can make a little playoff run.”
That playoff push will be led by the young guns leading the team. Friday’s game was an example of how they are able to take over games.
Sophomore center Lavar Lindo got the Diamondbacks rolling, scoring 9 first-half points en route to a 15-point game.
Sharyland High didn’t have the size to matchup with Lindo on the inside, and he rewarded many of his teammates’ passes with easy layups.
Lindo also did a good job of drawing contact on the interior, and he made the Rattlers pay, going 5 for 6 from the charity stripe.
“I am getting really comfortable on the court, especially with this environment, the team I am playing with,” Lindo said. “We have known each other for a long time, so we have had the chemistry since day one.”
Freshman Eddie Marburger grew up playing with Lindo as well as several other Diamondbacks on different travel teams.
“The chemistry is huge,” Marburger said. “With that chemistry, it just feels like we can’t be beat.”
Eddie Marburger — who is named after his grandfather Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Famer Eddie Marburger, and is the cousin of McAllen Memorial’s Taylor and Sydney Marburger — scored 7 points on Friday.
“He is very polished,” Gonzalez said of the younger Eddie Marburger. “That’s what happens when you go play in different cities during the summer. He’s an all around player, so that’s what he does.”
Marburger has the makings of a great basketball player. He has a knack for the ball and he is a reliable decision maker on the court.
“He can do it all,” Gonzalez said. “He’s just a freshman. He’s still learning. He just came back from football and he has been hurt a little bit, but he is getting better everyday.”
Marburger and Lindo are two pieces of the young Diamondbacks’ attack. They have a lot of upside and they both say they are just hitting their stride.
Alongside them are sophomore Ethan Lee, who had 5 points against Sharyland High, freshman Miguel Angel Gonzalez who scored 8 and sophomore Luke Padilla who netted 4.
“We lost a close one to (Mission) Vets last Friday,” Gonzalez said. “I think we should have got it. We started off bad, but you know what, it’s a learning experience. We just have to learn from it. Learn every single day. We have to take something away from that game and grow into a better team and try to make a run into the playoffs if we can. … For now, we get five days off. We get them back on the 28th, then the 29th we play Valley View at home.”
While the team may be young, they are not too busy with Christmas celebrations to be looking past Valley View.
“We will be ready to go,” Lindo said. “We are looking forward to it, and we will be trying to pick up another ‘w.’”