Sabercats roar past Diamondbacks in district opener

MISSION —Edinburg Vela found itself in a seven-point hole late during the third quarter of their district opener against Sharyland Pioneer.

The Sabercats responded by outscoring the Diamondbacks 19-4 down the stretch behind the play of their senior captains GG Betancourt and Ava Tovar, taking down their District 31-5A rivals 48-40 on Tuesday at the Sharyland Pioneer Gym.

Edinburg Vela’s Ava Tovar (13) meets Sharyland Pioneer’s Anika Fleischmann in the paint during a District 31-5A contest on Tuesday at the Sharyland Pioneer Gym. (Sixtum Pictures | Special to RGVSports)

“You said the key word and that is fight,” Edinburg Vela head coach Lottie Zarate said. “We talked about it at halftime. We needed to make sure that we went out there and did what we needed to do and fight. I told them we had a 7-0 run at one point. We just needed to take care of the ball, execute and find a bucket. And they did. All the girls did well. They did what they needed to do.”

After a back-and-forth game during the first half, the Diamondbacks jumped out to a 36-29 lead over the Sabercats during the third behind a 10-point quarter by Ebonie Chatman.

Foul trouble sent the sophomore guard to the bench late in the third, opening the door for the Sabercats rally.

Edinburg Vela took advantage of Chatman’s absence, going on a 16-0 run during the final minutes of the third and into the fourth to take a 45-38 lead with 6:30 remaining. Betancourt and Tovar combined for 10 points during the run.

Edinburg Vela senior GG Betancourt (1) directs the offense during a District 31-5A contest against Sharyland Pioneer on Tuesday at the Sharyland Pioneer Gym. (Sixtum Pictures | Special to RGVSports)

“We have some younger players, but they (Betancourt and Tovar) are leading by example,” Zarate said. “GG is a very vocal leader. Ava is a vocal leader. They kept telling the girls this is how we play, and this is how we’re going to get it done. They kept us playing together as a team.”

Sharyland Pioneer cut it to a six-point game midway through the fourth, but that’s as close as they’d get, with Tovar adding one final field goal late to secure the win.

The senior captain finished with 14 points on the night, including 11 during the second half. Betancourt led the team with 20 points, also adding timely steals.

Chatman finished with a game-high 26 points despite missing time due to her foul trouble. Senior Anika Fleischmann added 12 points.

Sharyland Pioneer senior Anika Fleischmann battles with Edinburg Vela’s Ava Tovar during a District 31-5A contest Tuesday at the Sharyland Pioneer Gym. (Sixtum Pictures | Special to RGVSports)

“It is a lot of weight on my shoulders,” Betancourt said. “I’ve had a lot of help these last few years with a lot of stars next to me. Now it’s just taking that role for the team. I really didn’t have to be a scoring threat before, but now I do. I just try to get everyone involved on my team because that’s how we’re going to win.”

“I knew it was super close down the stretch and us being seniors I knew we had to step up,” Tovar added. “I usually do the little things like the rebounding, stealing and the defense. This year I told myself I had to step it up not just for myself, but for my team. I know we have a tough district this year. My team has given me the confidence in my gameplay. Like my coach says, everyone is a scoring threat on the field. What was going through my head was we just needed to get a win.”

The Diamondbacks (11-9, 0-1) hit the road for their next district contest, taking on the Wolverines at 7:30 p.m. Friday at PSJA Memorial.

The Sabercats (14-5, 1-0) continue district play at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against PSJA Memorial at Edinburg Vela.

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