(File photo/Albert Villegas)
By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
RIO HONDO, TX—Now that the Lady ’Cats finished the District 32-3A portion of their season in impressive fashion, postseason business is finally at hand.
Owners of a five-game winning streak to close the district portion of their season, the Lady Bobcat Varsity Basketball Team will play in a Class 3A bi-district game in Edinburg against Vanguard Rembrandt.
“The postseason is what we look forward to, this is the time of year where you leave your mark in this program,” Rio Hondo Lady Bobcat Basketball Coach Victor Sauceda said. “We’ve had great (Lady ’Cat) teams in the past, and now it’s time for this team to put their best foot forward and see where we stack up against the best out there.”
The first-round playoff game is Friday at Vanguard Beethoven Gym at 6 p.m., 2215 S. Veterans Blvd., in Edinburg, TX.
After their loss to Lyford last month, Rio Hondo reeled off wins against district foes IDEA Riverview, Santa Rosa, Raymondville, IDEA Sports Park (85-24), and IDEA Robindale (92-22).
The latter two opponents were played last week and Tuesday.
Rio Hondo finished with a 17-1 district mark and enters the postseason with an impressive 27-3 record. Lyford was second and Santa Rosa third in the district, respectfully.
According to the Texas Girls’ Coaches’ Association Class 3A poll, Rio Hondo is ranked No. 6, and Lyford No. 24.
The Rio Hondo Bobcats, meanwhile, picked up a big District 32-3A victory when they defeated the Brownsville IDEA Sports Park Stingrays.
The decisive 60-44 win last week also came at the right time since the Bobcats had lost back-to-back games against the Santa Rosa Warriors (59-54) and the Raymondville Bearkats (66-52).
They were falling fast in the district standings after having lost, 43-41, to the same Sports Park team in December.
“The difference between the two games was that the boys just playing within themselves. We played really well in our transition game, both offensively and defensively,” Rio Hondo Head Coach Mike Alvarez said. “We made (Sports Park) work for their shots, and we hit ours. We didn’t make lots of shots we normally do, and that was a key factor.”
This week, the Bobcats defeated Brownsville IDEA Robindale, 77-26. With the win, they are in second place with a 12-4 district mark.
“My boys have been through adversity before, so we took those losses as learning lessons,” Alvarez said. “We picked up the intensity, and attention to detail in practice, and it (has) paid off for us.”
Lyford appears to have the district title in hand as its 15-1 record would attest to. Rio Hondo, however, cannot afford to lose any more games as Santa Rosa is in third place with an 11-4 mark.
Their final two district games are against IDEA schools Weslaco Pike away (Feb. 7) and at home against Brownsville Frontier College Prep (Feb. 10).