WESLACO — Weslaco East’s climb to the District 32-5A throne was an uphill battle, but the Wildcats embraced every step of the grind and met each challenge head on.
Competing against teams with winning traditions in recent years like Brownsville Pace, Brownsville Veterans and Harlingen South, the Wildcats fought tooth and nail to earn their spot at the table with Lower Valley powers.
East (26-8, 17-1) proved it belongs by finishing atop the District 32-5A standings this season to win the program’s first district championship in 14 years. The Wildcats now enter the 2023-24 playoffs as District 32-5A’s No. 1 seed.
“There’s one goal and it’s to be a district champ, and this year we’ve been able to do that. For two years in a row, we fell short in second place,” East head coach Zeke Rodriguez said. “We came in with the mentality of ‘unfinished business’ this year. … It’s taken a lot of hard work, but the kids have bought in. They believe in what I’m trying to do with them, and that’s been the big change — they’ve bought into the culture.”
East will face a familiar foe in the bi-district round of the playoffs in Sharyland Pioneer (20-14, 11-7). It’s the third consecutive season that the Wildcats and Diamondbacks will collide in the first round. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sharyland Pioneer High School in Mission.
Prior to Rodriguez taking over as coach in 2020-21, the Wildcats had qualified for the playoffs just four times from 2009-2020. Now the Wildcats are set to make their fourth consecutive playoff appearance and enter the postseason as winners of 20 of their past 22 games.
“We had to learn and fight to get where we’re at. We had to play with the mentality of being down 20,” senior captain Jediah Rivens said.
The Wildcats have proven they can win low-scoring dogfights or light up the scoreboard, with 12 of 18 district games scoring 60 or more points.
They’re led by one of South Texas’ top tandems in Rivens, a senior forward, and junior guard Zion Rodriguez.
Zion, the coach’s son, is averaging 19.2 points per game, 3.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Rivens, a four-year letterman, is scoring 18.6 points a game to go with 7.8 rebounds and 4.8 steals a night.
The duo can make highlight-reel plays and score with the best offensively, but it also likes to get its hands dirty in guarding the opposing team’s top two scoring threats.
“It’s a blessing in having (Rivens) as my teammate,” Zion said. “On any given night one of us can have a good game, the other can have a good game, but when we both play very good it’s going to be very scary, and very tough for other teams to stop us.”
The Wildcats are much more than two players, though. Several pieces have stepped up to save the day for East this season, delivering for their teams in crunch times whenever their numbers have been called.
Senior post Alex Martinez has been key for the Wildcats this season as their top option down low. Martinez, who starred for the East football team as a dual-threat quarterback, adds an element of toughness and makes possession-winning plays on the basketball court.
Junior point guard EJ Garza is the steady force and coach on the floor for the Wildcats, keeping their offense in rhythm and in position to attack.
Senior guard Emi Duran has drilled some big shots for the Wildcats, and senior forward Devin Hobbs is coming on strong down the stretch.
“For me as a coach, you want to see your whole team get a piece of the pie,” Coach Rodriguez said. “When we’re all five going, it’s tough because you can’t key on one guy. It’s exciting, and it’s fun to watch.”
East is now set to take on Pioneer with a spot in the area round on the line for the third straight year.
The Diamondbacks got the best of the Wildcats two seasons ago, but East returned the favor last year to advance to Round 2. They’ll break the tie Tuesday evening in Mission as one team keeps its season alive and the other packs it in.
“We need to be very disciplined and work as a team, that’s something we’ve been prioritizing. We know what it’s like from last year, so we’re feeling good going into the playoffs this year,” Garza said.
