MISSION — The Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks erased a 13-point halftime deficit to takedown Edinburg Vela 58-49 in a battle of District 31-5A unbeatens Tuesday at Sharyland Pioneer High School.
The Diamondbacks (15-10, 6-0) now sit alone atop the 31-5A standings, while Edinburg Vela (13-12, 5-1) slides into a tie for second with McAllen Memorial.
“We know that Edinburg Vela is a very well-coached team. We knew it was going to be tough competition coming in,” Sharyland Pioneer first-year head coach Fernando Rodriguez said. “I feel like our boys came out a little bit asleep early on. Shots weren’t falling, we weren’t doing the little things in terms of rebounding, missing assignments on defense, so we just went into halftime with a calm head, told them to keep battling, play our game, and if we do that, we’ll come out on top.”
“It was a good playoff atmosphere game between unbeaten teams. Hats off to them. They played a great game in the second half,” Edinburg Vela head coach Lucio Rodriguez said.
Edinburg Vela built its lead by playing tough inside defensively while allowing big man Axel Garza to go to work offensively. He scored all 12 of his points during the first half, finishing with 10 rebounds and two assists.
During the second half, however, it was Sharyland Pioneer’s backcourt play and defense that made the difference. Guards Jaden Garcia and Evan Yong combined to score 28 during the third and fourth quarters to propel Pioneer to victory.
“We just had to get the momentum going and keep working hard. We just had to execute. Defense and rebounding — that’s what won us the game,” the senior Yong said.
Garcia scored 17 of his 19 during the second half to go with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Yong scored 10 of his 16 during the third quarter, finishing with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Julian Valdez added 12 for Pioneer and Edward Chavez provided a spark off the bench with seven points and five boards.
“Today really brought out the best of us and we showed up as a team. I’m proud of my guys,” the sophomore Garcia said.
Edinburg Vela sophomore JP Olivarez finished strong with 10 of his 15 points during the fourth quarter and the SaberCats in comeback mode. EJ Avelar and Sam Sepulveda both had seven.
“I think we didn’t do a good job defending the ball in space. I think they were able to penetrate when we didn’t want them to penetrate,” Vela’s Rodriguez said. “They played a good game. Hats off to Coach Fern (Rodriguez), he’s doing a great job with those guys. First-year coach, he has them in a great position and I wish them nothing but the best.”
Edinburg Vela has a chance to bounce back against PSJA Memorial at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Edinburg Vela High School in Edinburg.
Pioneer’s Rodriguez will look to lead the Diamondbacks to a seventh consecutive district win when they take on crosstown rival Sharyland High at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sharyland High School.
“I feel very blessed. All glory to God,” Pioneer’s Rodriguez said. “We got great kids, great parents, a great school district. We just come out here and compete every day. They come out here and work hard, put their best foot forward. That’s all we ask of them.”
