SAN ANTONIO — Edinburg Vela trailed San Antonio Wagner by three points in the fourth quarter of their Region IV-5A semifinal and the SaberCats didn’t blink once.
Instead, the SaberCats outscored the Thunderbirds by 12 over the final eight minutes to pull off a 57-46 victory Friday at Littleton Gym in San Antonio to punch their ticket to the Elite 8.
Edinburg Vela (36-5) advances to the Region IV-5A final to face San Antonio Veterans (39-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Littleton Gym for a spot in the state tournament.
“The guys handled adversity well. We were leading the whole game and fell to a three-point deficit there in the fourth quarter and they responded like they have all season long — playing together, sharing the ball and playing defense,” Edinburg Vela head coach Lucio Rodriguez said.
Edinburg Vela senior forward Axel Garza scored 10 of his team-high 21 points during the fourth quarter to help lift the SaberCats to victory. He hit from long range, from the free throw line and converted a tough and-1 inside to come up big in the final quarter.
“We’re all we have. At the end of the day, it’s about those guys on the bench and we had to fight for each other and we weren’t going to give up,” Garza said. “I’m super proud of every single one of us. … They gave me the ball and even if I missed they told me, ‘next shot, next shot’ and I didn’t want to let them down. They kept giving me the ball, Coach kept calling my number and I had to come through for my guys. “
“That might seem surprising but that’s the Axel we’ve seen all year long. He takes over games, he’s a great player, a versatile player that can play inside and out,” Rodriguez said.
The SaberCats held a 27-23 lead at the break after a hot start from senior guard EJ Avelar got Vela going early. The SaberCats took advantage of openings in the Thunderbirds’ defense to create good looks around the rim. The trend continued throughout the second half and Wagner had no answer for Vela in the fourth quarter.
Avelar finished with 13 points, sophomore guard Jordan Bustamante made an impact off the bench with 12 points, and junior point guard JP Olivarez found his teammates around the rim to finish with seven points and five assists.
“This feels great. All the hard work we’ve put in is paying off. We beat a great team and showed what we can do against a great opponent up north,” Avelar said.
Guard Marcus Johnson had the hot hand for the Thunderbirds with 12 points in the first half and another 10 during the second for a game-high 22. He was the only Wagner player to finish in double figures.
Diego Salinas and Sam Sepulveda both chipped in with two points offensively for the SaberCats.
Edinburg Vela now shifts its focus to Saturday’s regional final against San Antonio Veterans (39-1). SA Veterans defeated Corpus Christi Veterans 60-49 on Friday at Littleton Gym to set up the matchup with the SaberCats.
“It’s another game and we got another game to prep for and that’s what we’re going to do tonight,” Rodriguez said.
