SAN PERLITA — The San Perlita Trojans know some people doubted them coming into this season, but they never felt like underdogs.
They endured the COVID-19 pandemic, injuries and a challenging non-district schedule by working as a true team with a close bond and getting contributions from the entire roster. The Trojans will continue to use that winning formula when they take on Trinidad at 7 p.m. today at Pflugerville Hendrickson in a Class 1A regional semifinal.
“It feels more like a family than a basketball team. We’re all close in age, have a lot of love for each other,” Ely Terry said. “Everyone can fill in their spots. There’s not one certain player that’s better than the rest. Max (Graciani) puts in good minutes. James (Herrera) is a good player you can always count on. Diego (Ortiz) is a good role player. Benny (Gutierrez) is a good shooter. The whole team is a good combination. It’s a big accomplishment to come back after everyone doubted us. We’ve done good.”
Sam Conde echoed Terry’s sentiments that the Trojans have been successful because they’re fully bought in to the team concept. Conde said the team enjoys playing with each other, and the fun the Trojans have together on the court makes them play better.
San Perlita has used that to earn several comeback wins, particularly during their playoff run, which gives the Trojans the confidence that they’re never out of a game.
“It’s fun to do this basketball thing with these guys. We always go in and just have fun with it,” Conde said. “That’s all we have to do, just go in with that energy, and we got it in the bag. We’re ready for it. We know how to work together on the court. So many people counted us out, and having so many wins and having this success makes us feel great. This is my family.”
Conde is dealing with an injury and said he’s uncertain if he’ll be able to play today or Saturday, if San Perlita were to defeat Trinidad and move on to the regional final against either Neches or Rocksprings at 7:30 p.m. at Hendrickson. He said it hurts to not know if he’ll get on the court with his team, but challenges are nothing new for the Trojans.
San Perlita coach Nataniel Garza said seeing this group work through obstacles makes this latest deep playoff run a little more significant.
“This team was on a mission to prove we could still win. Any time you can make a deep run it’s special, but this group really wanted it,” Garza said. “I’m proud of what they’ve done so far. It says a lot about the kids and their work ethic. They deserve all the recognition because they work extremely hard year-round and there’s a lot of sacrifice, especially this year with the pandemic and there being a lot of risk with them coming out to play basketball. It shows how much this means to them, and to have the community come out and support them, I know they really enjoy it.”
Garza said “so far” because, for as much as reaching the Sweet 16 means, the Trojans are shooting for more. Terry said the coaches have watched a lot of film on Trinidad, and San Perlita has a good game plan it’s ready to execute.
The Trojans believe they match up well with Trinidad and feel if they lean on their speed, chemistry and do their jobs, they’ll be playing for a regional title Saturday.
“We feel good, we feel focused. We’re ready,” Garza said. “Right now the biggest thing is just staying in tune, making sure we execute and stay on par with our shooting. The most important thing is just making sure everybody knows their role and their assignments, that way we can come out and play well.”
