BY GREG SELBER

DISTRICT 30-5A

Hidalgo Basketball

This has been quite a learning experience for veteran coach Teresa Casso and her McAllen Lady Bulldogs so far. The team came into the Border Bash over the weekend with a sub-.500 record for the first time in light-years, but Casso noted that tough road trips to Dripping Springs and Houston for tournaments will help.

“That’s what you have to do, get up there and play against the best to see where you stand,” said the RGV Sports Hall of Famer, and it appears to be working, as the Lady ‘Dogs held their own at the Bash with four wins.

The Mac was picked third in the Valley by the members of the RGV Coaches Association before the campaign began, with Memorial fourth. And the Lady Mustangs have shown no ill effects despite heavy graduation losses like their rival.

Memorial is off to an 11-5 start with losses against top clubs, including a surprising P-SJ-A unit, Edinburg, Mission Vets, and Harlingen South. With stout Jen Kowalski in the middle plus Vanessa Delgado and Taylor Stanton joining her in the mix, the Lady Mustangs are looking solid so far.

With All-Valley volleyball MVP Brittany Best scoring a girls’ single-game high of 43 points a few weeks back, McAllen Rowe can score with anyone. The Lady Warriors defeated Harlingen 66-62 that night, and will look to compete with its city rivals for the crown in 30-5A. Best is a beast, plain and simple.

Do not count out Sharyland, because that team is much improved after a down year in 2008-09. The Lady Rattlers get fierce inside play from Chelsea Cole (20 against Porter, 18 versus Hidalgo), grit and hustle from Bethany Thompson (20 against Hidalgo) plus some exciting long bombs from freshman Ciaira Briseno, who pumped in five treys against Edinburg North and scored 20 in a win over Lopez.

That’s the big 4 in this league, with the rest of the pack seeking to regain momentum after slow starts. Kassandra Lopez of Palmview put in 22 points against Pharr North as the Lady Lobos look to get the hang of things in this traditionally tough league. Rio’s Rosie Solis popped in 27 against P-SJ-A Memorial.

DISTRICT 31-5A

While Harlingen South lost Bianca Torre to UTPA, the Lady Hawks still have “Jumpin’ Josslyn” Benavidez and a supporting cast headed by Miranda Garcia that is ready to step out of the shadows. Despite a weekend loss to Los Fresnos (it beat the Lady Falcons twice earlier), South appears to be one of the faves once again in this deep and balanced loop. It has beaten McAllen, Memorial, Rowe and Hanna so far, among other conquests, and also bested Corpus Christi Carroll.

Edinburg lost as much to graduation as South, but has weathered some stormy seas of late to solidify its season. The Lady Bobcats lost a pair of close matches at the Alice Tourney over the weekend, splitting four at that competitive event. Defense is the team strength this year, with gutty Laura Torres leading the charge. Anaka Garcia is doing very well as a senior post so far, and EHS should be right there at the wire.

The same might be said for Edinburg North, which broke through to the playoffs last year and has most of that cast back in action. All-Valley volleyballer Brandy Garcia has been a fine player for four years and she has plenty of help in super ballhandler Essence Brown, slick point guard Dani Vargas (24 points vs. Lopez) and streak-scoring soph Vicky Pena. The Lady Coogs beat Sharyland to start the year and then made a great showing at the Border Bash with a series of wins; they were picked seventh in the area to start the season, with EHS sixth and South at, um, one.

That trio expects to rule the roost this year but it had better keep an eye on P-SJ-A, because Coach Iris Garza has a potential powerhouse this time out. Maya Gray made the All-Tourney team up at Alice, and the Lady Bears have some talented kids to go with that all-sport star. Lisa Mancias put in 21 points against La Joya in November while teammate Marlena Bustamante has been a consistent scorer too (22 in a win at Pace). The Lady Bears are 11-3 right now and are particularly nasty on D, allowing just over 40 points a night.

Harlingen started fast with Demmie Rodriguez (two 20-point nights) and the junior-level Adams Twins, Ashley and Megan, but has hit a wall lately. Still, the Lady Cards came in at No. 10 in the preseason rankings, and will be heard from eventually, one imagines.

While P-SJ-A Memorial might have a hard time pushing into the playoffs, the roster includes one of the shooting stars of the fall so far in Bianca DeHoyos. The Lady Wolverine leader fired in 38 against Rio Grande City, 33 versus Donna, and burned La Joya for 25; she is hard to stop with a quick release and shows no hesitation in letting it fly from all angles.

North and Econ have taken their licks so far, but each program has experienced playoff time in recent years, so they cannot be counted out in the least at this nascent stage.

DISTRICT 30-5A

This is a tough league to figure, as most of the teams have struggled against other 5A clubs so far. But expect Los Fresnos, with high-scoring Ashley Benavides (26 against Mercedes) to come on strong. The Lady Falcons have to be feeling good about their win over South at the Border Bash.

Weslaco was picked fifth in the Valley this season with Los Fresnos eighth, but the Pantherettes received a devastating blow when all-star Kimberly Armstrong tore up a knee in a scrimmage; she is done for the year, sadly, leaving the bulk of the offensive chores to seasoned post Alex Rocha. She had 19 points and 11 rebounds in a close loss to EHS early, and that squad has a lot of moxie; enough to come back from the injury to Armstrong? We shall see.

As for the rest of the pack, San Benito has been hovering at .500 but the Lady Greyhounds scored an impressive three victories at the Border Bash. They can claim wins over Weslaco and 3A power La Feria to date.

In Brownsville, Hanna got out of the gate in a hurry with five wins in six tries, but like Harlingen has slowed a bit. City mate Lopez can trot out Celina Garcia every game, and she has scored well in 2009-10, with 28 in a win over La Feria and 23 against Lyford.

LOWER CLASSIFICATIONS

It’s been feast or famine for perennially tough Mission so far, as the Lady Eagles have chalked up a 6-game winning streak but an equally dismal losing skein lately. They will battle with Mission Vets (11-3 in a great beginning) along with Weslaco East and a few others this season.

Vets has lost to Laredo Alexander, Hidalgo, and Edinburg North but other than that, has been really together. East has been having trouble the past two weeks but should be able to right the ship, after narrow defeats to Port Lavaca Calhoun (by 5) and San Benny (2) to close the McAllen action over the weekend. Amy Trevino is one to watch for the Lady Pats, as she battled Hidalgo to the tune of 23 points.

In 3A, the Lady Pirates are the Lady Pirates and that means excellence. Hidalgo is 10-1 after advancing to the title game of the Border Bash before losing to CC King by 3. Depth may be a problem, but talent is not, as junior whirlwind Neshae Owens exploded for 41 points in a 6-point surprise win in the semis over highly touted Cedar Park. The starting five is as good as it gets, and Hidalgo is the odds-on favorite to take 32-3A once again.

La Feria, with long-time multi-sport queen Hannah Wolf, will be there as always to fight it out with Hidalgo; the Lionettes won three at the Bash and have defeated Pharr North, Pace, and San Antonio Jefferson to show they are set to compete.

Both Lyford and Raymondville have had their moments in the young season, with the Lady ‘Kats especially seeming ready to shine, after four wins over Class 5A teams and one over usually strong 4A outfit Roma.

Of the rest of the lower-level squads, count on St. Joe to be a tough customer, with Sam Garcia (25 versus Mercedes) leading the charge. Diamond Caballero is back for another go at it with Santa Rosa; she can flat fill it up and aided upsets win over San Benito and Porter in November.

Tags: Basketball- Girls, hidalgo, mcallen, pirates