Special to the NEWS
The San Benito Greyhound varsity basketball team has high expectations going into Round 2 of 31-5A play. (Photo by Rodrigo Davila)
With the right motivation, teams can do special things.
That’s what San Benito Greyhounds boys basketball coach Eddie Abrego is hoping for and so far, the ’Hounds are on the right track.
Heading into Tuesday night’s pivotal game against McAllen Memorial, the ’Hounds stood at 15-10 overall and 5-3 in District 31-5A, a game back of the Mustangs (6-2) and good for third place. PSJA (4-4) holds the final playoff spot. Tuesday’s game marked the start of the Round 2 of district play.
After a couple of losses over the Christmas holidays, San Benito found its winning ways by blasting Weslaco 67-34 at home on Jan. 11. Twelve Greyhounds scored in the game and solid team defense was the recipe for the win. After the two disappointing defeats to Weslaco East and PSJA, Abrego hopes it’s the start of a second-half surge.
“We dropped two games we felt we shouldn’t have,” Abrego said. “We came out a little flat. But we’ve really been tough on the kids and they’ve responded with better play and better fundamentals. We bounced back from it and the kids realize they had a great opportunity that kinda slipped through their hands. Now, we’re aiming for the top two spots (in district).”
Post Mathew Perez leads the ’Hounds in scoring at 16.5 points per contest on average. Guard Jason Lopez isn’t far behind as he averages just over 15 per game. And against the Panthers, guard Cristian Sierra poured in a team-high 17 points to lead the team in a solid effort from the entire roster. The team has come together nicely over the first part of the season.
“He’s gaining confidence,” Abrego said of the sophomore guard Sierra. “(Against Weslaco) the kids hustled and they brought it. We played good overall defense and they know our expectations.”
Along with starter Larry Molina, the rest of the Greyhounds include Cruz Guzman, Daniel Molina, Joey Sauceda, Manny Sanchez, Daniel Roja, Jordan Briones, Joel Barrera and Jacob Flores, who recently cracked the starting lineup.
“He’s a physical defender and he’s a starter for us now,” Abrego said of Flores. “But Cruz and Danny Molina play a lot of important minutes for us as well.”
San Benito was experienced, bringing back a healthy four starters from last season’s young group. They were already motivated, as they just missed the playoffs via several close defeats. Combine last season and the Christmas mini-slump and it’s easy to see why the Greyhounds will be out for redemption.
“We’ve challenged the kids to be consistent and maintain focus,” Abrego said. “I keep telling them about last year. They have the bitter taste from last year on their minds and they know we want to dictate, not be dictated.”
Read this story in the Jan. 26 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
2 comments
Good Luck Guys play hard !
Good Luck Boys!! Keep playing hard and using your teamwork skills will get you far.