By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
RIO HONDO, TX—The Lady Bobcats have begun their quest for another district title in Class 3A basketball, and with it an opportunity to advance further in the postseason out of Region IV.
With a trio of scrimmages played at Donna High School last weekend, Rio Hondo Head Coach Victor Sauceda and Assistant Coach Raven Flores are strategizing on how this year’s squad can be more effective on the basketball court compared to last season.
“We scrimmaged three teams,” Sauceda said. “I thought we got some good practice in, considering we have girls filling in new positions. We’re still a work in progress.”
Last season, Rio Hondo finished first in District 32-3A, owners of a 17-1 record. The team was 28-4 overall, but the final game of the season, which ended in a 48-40 bi-district loss to the Bishop Lady Badgers, was particularly hurtful.
Three of the five players who scored in that game return this year. They are senior Abigail Atkinson (1), and sophomores Carlie Rodriguez (3) and Evan Ayala (5).
According to their schedule, on Friday, the Lady ’Cats host the San Benito Lady Greyhounds, another playoff team that advanced to the second round for a fourth consecutive year in Class 6A.
The Lady ’Cats then play Port Isabel, Brownsville Lopez, and Harlingen South this month.
Rio Hondo returns to familiar grounds when it competes at Santa Rosa (Nov. 20-22) and Lyford (Dec. 4-6) for its only two tournaments. Both are district opponents scheduled to play in December and January.
Coach Sauceda penciled in a district contest between those tournaments against Weslaco Pike on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
The Lady ’Cats once again compete in a 10-team district, and every team is gunning to prevent them from claiming another outright district title.
The Lady ’Cats have finished in first place for five straight seasons.
Among the other varsity players who are suiting up this season are: senior Rhianna Villarreal (24); juniors Samantha Flores (23), Ximena Gonzalez (10), Jillianna Sauceda (11), and Izabella Zuniga (21); sophomore Klarissa Padilla (2); and freshman Erin Ayala (15).
“I did like the energy and competitiveness that we displayed throughout the scrimmages,” Coach Sauceda said. “It will definitely be something to build on moving forward.”
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