Janai Coleman burst onto RGV high school girls basketball scene as a freshman, earning The Monitor’s All-Area Girls Basketball Newcomer of the Year award after averaging a double-double during her debut campaign with Edinburg High last season.
After graduating their top two players from a season ago, Coleman looked to be next in line to carry the torch for the Bobcats.
This season, however, Coleman has donned a different shade of blue, transferring to Edinburg Vela after her phenomenal freshman season.
On Friday, Coleman lined up opposite of her former team for the first time since the move, dropping 24 points as the SaberCats topped the Bobcats 61-40, snapping a nine-game losing streak to their crosstown foe.
“I just needed to show them that I’ve gotten better,” Coleman said. “I wanted to show them that I’m helping a new team out. I was just trying to be me while I played.”
With the Bobcats up seven after one, Coleman took her game to another level during the second quarter, erupting for 13 of her team’s 19 points.
Coleman put the exclamation point on her huge second quarter with a dominant and-one layup, flexing her muscles and yelling in excitement after the play.
“She’s a beast and has presence on the court,” Edinburg Vela head coach Lottie Zarate said. “She took control. You could see that. She got some rebounds, hit some floaters in the middle, hit some 3s. To me, she’s an all-around player.”
Coleman is one of two new faces on the SaberCats’ 2021 squad, with former PSJA North standout Emma Lucio joining the team after spending her first two seasons with the Raiders.
Lucio joins the SaberCats after averaging 15.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game during her sophomore year at PSJA North.
The duo has turned the SaberCats into a district title contender, joining a trio of returning starters from last season’s playoff squad in Aneyda Chapa, Fey Vasquez and Lauren Vega, who is averaging 13.4 points per game.
Coleman and Lucio have emerged as two of the SaberCats’ top offensive weapons this season, with Coleman averaging 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while Lucio has upped her scoring total to a team-high 19.2 points per game, adding 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest.
Lucio helped spearhead the SaberCats’ offensive attack against the Bobcats, scoring a game-high 27 points, while delivering pinpoint passes throughout the contest.
“She has great vision of the court and she’s able to see her teammates on the floor,” Zarate said. “That’s a big plus. You can see the impact she brings to the team here. The kids get along so well. These past 23 games they’ve built some chemistry. They trust each other and understand it’s a process.”
The SaberCats (21-2, 4-0) return to action at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, traveling to take on the PSJA High Bears. Meanwhile, the Bobcats (18-7, 3-1) host the PSJA North Raiders at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
