EDINBURG — Edinburg Vela found itself in unfamiliar territory after one quarter, trailing for the first time in district play this season.
SaberCats head coach Lottie Zarate delivered a simple message to her team after the first: play like champions.
Edinburg Vela responded to their head coach, outscoring McAllen Rowe by 28 points over the final three periods en route to a dominating 58-37 victory over the Warriors on Tuesday at the Edinburg Vela gymnasium.
“I told them if they wanted to play like champions, they needed to do it now,” Zarate said. “We got to go one game at a time. We don’t take anybody lightly or anything for granted. We still have to stay humble. We told them at halftime all the little things matter. Little mistakes make big mistakes. … They did great defensively and adjusted. They understood what was on the line. We know Rowe is the defending 31-5A champions, so we knew we needed to come here and do our job.”
With her team up by only four at the break, Edinburg Vela senior guard Emma Lucio went to work to start the second half. A quick 3-pointer out of the break by Lucio sparked a 10-0 run by the SaberCats, extending their lead to 14 midway through the third.
She continued her dominant third quarter effort by scoring the final six points of the quarter for the SaberCats. Lucio added another six points during the fourth, finishing with a game-high 22 points.
Lucio’s dominant second half was complimented by a first-half offensive showcase put on by junior guard Janai Coleman.
The three-year letterwinner scored 12 of her 20 points during the first half, helping the SaberCats erase a seven-point, first-quarter deficit.
Coleman, who finished with four 3-pointers made, eclipsed the 1,000-point mark with her performance, sitting at 1,002 points after Tuesday.
“I was really excited to break 1,000,” Coleman said. “I’ve been working so hard for this since last year. I’ve been counting my points lately, just trying to get there. That was one of my biggest goals this year, getting to 1,000 points.”
“She played an awesome game tonight,” Zarate said. “She was big, especially on the boards with getting those offensive and defensive rebounds. Just putting in those small putbacks when we weren’t hitting our shot from the 3-point line. We talked to her about that at halftime. If our shots aren’t going in from the outside, you have to find a way on the inside.”
McAllen Rowe senior Evelyn Valero made the SaberCats pay inside the paint during the first quarter, scoring eight points during the period to give her team a 19-12 advantage after one.
The SaberCats adjusted defensively, holding Valero to just six points over the final three periods and the Warriors to 18 combined points after the first.
“I told the girls we needed to make sure we knew where she was the whole time,” Zarate said. “That’s her game. She’s at the low block and she’s sneaking in block to block. We had to make sure we didn’t lose her. She does a great job of boxing out. I told the girls we had to face guard her if necessary and the rest of the team do what they have to do at the top.”
The SaberCats take sole possession of first place in District 31-5A with the victory, moving to 5-0 on the year. The Warriors drop to second with the loss, trailing the SaberCats by one game with a 4-1 mark.
Edinburg Vela (15-4, 5-0) returns to the hardwood at noon Thursday, taking on PSJA North at the PSJA North gym. McAllen Rowe (12-8, 4-1) turns its attention to a home matchup against Sharyland High (15-6, 4-1) at noon Thursday, with the winner taking control of second place in the district.
