A season full of firsts came to an end for the Donna IDEA Titans in the area round of the Class 3A playoffs in a 61-16 loss to the Santa Gertrudis Academy Lions Wednesday evening at H.M. King High School in Kingsville.
The Titans were overwhelmed by the Lions early and struggled to mount a comeback against their deep foes who spent most of the season camped inside the Texas Girls Coaches Association statewide rankings in 3A.
“I’m proud of my girls tonight, they never gave up,” Donna IDEA head coach Andrew Sierra said. “They played hard till the end. Santa Gertrudis is a good team.”
The loss drops Donna IDEA to 18-7 overall on the year and brings a culmination to a historic season in the mid-Valley.
The Titans, who were in their first season of competition in the University Interscholastic League, racked up a number of firsts for the program in its UIL debut.
Donna IDEA became the first IDEA school throughout the Rio Grande Valley to ever earn a spot in the TGCA’s basketball state rankings and ascended as high as No. 19, the top mark for any RGV team in Class 3A this season.
The Titans were also one win away from capturing a share of their first district championship in 31-3A and won the first playoff game in school history with a 46-29 victory over Brownsville IDEA Riverview in the bi-district round Friday.
“We had a historic season jumping into UIL, making playoffs and winning our first bi-district title,” Sierra said. “I’m excited for next year (because) now we know what it’s going to take to get to the next level. Our girls always worked hard and have already set goals for next year. They know what it is going to take to reach those goals and they are ready.”
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch
