RIO HONDO — A second-place finish in District 32-3A last season left the Rio Hondo Bobcats wanting more.
Finishing as runner-up behind perennial power Santa Rosa, winner of 18 consecutive district championships entering the 2023-24 season, Rio Hondo head coach Michael Alvarez and a hungry group of Bobcats knew they’d have to raise their game in order to shake up things and bring district gold back to Rio Hondo for the first time in 12 years.
But the Bobcats stumbled out of the District 32-3A gate with a 1-2 start following a 73-67 loss against Brownsville IDEA Sports Park and a 72-50 loss against Santa Rosa.
Rio Hondo had to respond quickly.
Not only did the Bobcats right the ship, they sailed to 13 straight victories for a 14-2 district record to win the 32-3A title.
“Santa Rosa was the face of 3A programs, and rightfully so for a long time, so we knew that if we wanted to obtain a district title, the road leads through Santa Rosa. We were able to split with them this year in a competitive year in the district,” Alvarez said. “We started off 1-2, so for us to battle back, fight back and win (13) in a row speaks volumes about the boys and the way they’ve battled adversity. … They knew what the end goal was for the team this season and they weren’t going to let a slow start stop them, so they’ve been resilient in that sense.”
Rio Hondo avenged both of those early losses during its winning streak, taking down Sports Park 65-47 on Jan. 12 and settling the score with defending district champion Santa Rosa 60-54 on Jan. 19.
The Bobcats were tested once more in district play but pulled through in a 47-37 overtime win over Lyford on Jan. 30 to help secure the 32-3A crown.
“It’s a dream come true,” Rio Hondo junior forward Keyan Lopez said. “To be able to play on this team for our school and put our name on a gold ball, it’s been a special season.”
The Bobcats turn up the tempo on their opponents from the opening tip with defensive pressure to lead to easy buckets on the other end. Rio Hondo also runs its offense through its star, Lopez, a versatile threat with ability to win inside and out.
He was named Dave Campbell’s Mr. Texas Basketball Player of the Week earlier this season after dropping 43 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and nine steals during a 92-54 win over Monte Alto on Jan. 17.
“I’m just proud of my ability to control the game. We’ve had games where none of us can shoot and we’ve had games when all of us can shoot, and me being able to step it up when the team needs it, that’s what I’m the most proud of,” Lopez said.
Lopez’s playmaking creates headaches for defenses while also opening opportunities for fellow starters Ruben Atkinson, Carlos Rodriguez, Caleb Sandoval and Christopher Torres. All have the ability to shoot from the outside and play off of Lopez.
“It started off with Boys and Girls Club. We always dreamed of winning championships, but we always fell short,” Atkinson said. “This year, we wanted to win, and this year, with all of us coming together as the starting five on varsity, it was nice. We’d hang out and talk about imagine winning this, imagine winning that, and now the imagination came true and now we’re winning district titles for Rio Hondo.”
The Bobcats are scheduled to face Pharr Vanguard Rembrandt at 7 p.m. Monday at Edinburg Vanguard Beethoven in Edinburg in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
Rio Hondo advanced to the area round last season and to the regional quarterfinal round in 2021-22. Now, coming off a district title, Torres feels the Bobcats can put together a run during his senior season.
“I want to see how far we can go. We know we got a good team, so it’s time to see how far we can go in the playoffs,” he said.
