Diamondbacks and Lady Diamondbacks split against Bulldogs
Last year was a benchmark season for the Sharyland Pioneer boys’ and girls’ basketball programs. The boys nearly made the Sweet 16 before losing a neutral site game to Edinburg Vela, and the girls won a convincing district championship before falling in the bi-district round to Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial. This year, the Diamondbacks and Lady Diamondbacks aim to best their accomplishments from a year ago. Both have experienced different results in the infancy of this season; regardless, the state of Sharyland Pioneer basketball is as good as it’s ever been.
Tuesday night at Sharyland Pioneer High School, the Diamondbacks and Lady Diamondbacks hosted McAllen High School in a District 31-5A doubleheader. The teams finished 1-1, with the Lady Diamondbacks soundly defeating the Lady Bulldogs by a final score of 54-28, while the Diamondbacks lost to the Bulldogs in a low-scoring, defensive battle by a final score of 48-38.
Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks:
After starting 1-0, the Pioneer boys lost another district game Tuesday night. The loss to the first-place Bulldogs isn’t fatal, but it is concerning, considering how tough district play will be. The Diamondbacks are still trying to adjust and acclimate their young players to the style and overall demands of varsity play. Their inexperience, coupled with the Bulldogs’ physical and slow-paced style, gave the Diamondbacks trouble all night.
“I keep preaching about the mental preparation it takes to play at the varsity level, especially in district games. So that’s something we need to continue to work on and fix because in this district you cannot start out slow. It’d be very hard to come back,” Diamondbacks’ head coach Fernando Rodriguez said about his team’s disappointing loss.
The Bulldogs disrupted the rhythm of the Diamondbacks offense by utilizing a diamond press before dropping back into an aggressive switching zone. The pressure slowed the Diamondbacks and forced them into uncharacteristic mistakes. At the end of the first quarter, the Diamondbacks were down five after allowing a barrage of three-pointers from Bulldogs guard Dylan Benavidez.
In the second quarter, Bulldogs guards Judah Rios and D’aundre Canada took over, and their lead ballooned to 14. Rios finished with 5 points, all of which were scored in the second quarter, while Canada scored a game-high 21 points. The Diamondbacks struggled to score points, limit turnovers, and get stops. It appeared as if the game stayed out of reach.
The Diamondbacks clamped down on defense in the third quarter. They held the Bulldogs to only nine points, largely thanks to terrific perimeter defense from Matthew Maldonaldo and Muhamed Shaath. The Diamondbacks channeled their aggressiveness into offense and slowly dug their way out of their first-half hole. Shaath led the way, finishing with 12 second-half points and tying the game high with 21 overall. In the fourth quarter, the Diamondbacks clawed their way back and shrunk the once gargantuan lead to 7 with over 6 minutes left.
Turnovers, poor shot selection, missed assignments, and lackluster rebounding,reared their ugly heads again in the fourth. The Bulldogs pulled away after 6 late points from Canada, and a back-breaking three from Dylan Gonzalez that ended the Diamondbacks comeback charge. The loss isn’t ideal, especially with Sharyland High, McAllen Nikki Rowe, and Edinburg Vela on the schedule in the coming weeks, but Rodriguez is staying the course. The Diamondbacks are going to get older or more experienced overnight. The process will take time and might not be easy, but it has to be done. The Diamondbacks will face the Sharyland Rattlers on the road this afternoon as they continue their quest for a highly coveted playoff spot.
“It’s definitely a tough loss. McHi is a good team and well-coached. They’re very disciplined offensively and defensively. We knew what to expect. We knew it was going to be a good game ultimately, and we did what we could. You just have to remind them about the discipline and the things we practice, ball movement, setting screens, making the team play and getting others involved…We’re definitely seeing growth out here. They’re learning. We just continue to tell them to be sponges out there and be attentive to what we’re saying. At the varsity level you kind of have to learn on the fly. We have to be in our spots and be ready to box out, take charges, and do the little things to win.” Rodriguez said about his team’s progress and the expectations it brings.
Sharyland Pioneer Lady Diamondbacks:
The Lady Diamondbacks won their fourth consecutive game Tuesday night after convincingly defeating the McAllen Lady Bulldogs. The win once again positions them atop the District 31-5A standings, with only one loss against their toughest competitors from a year ago, the Edinburg Vela Lady Sabercats. Like their male counterparts, the Lady Diamondbacks are young. However, the nucleus of Anika Fleischmann, Kassandra Garcia, and Ebonie Chatman, who were present and crucial to their success a year ago, is back and thriving.
Fleischmann’s defensive intensity and urgency on offense, Garcia’s playmaking and aggressive on-ball defense, and indefatigable motor, combined with Chatman’s overall genius, make for one hellacious trio. After a lackluster first half, in which the Lady Diamondbacks failed to match their usual quality, they exploded in the second half.
“I’m excited about how we came out in the second half, not so much the first half, but we turned the game around. They showed up,” Lady Diamondbacks’ head coach Nicole Villarreal-Sandoval said.
Chatman scored or assisted on 14 of their 16 third-quarter points. Every time she touched the ball, her handle enlivened it. Chatman finished her night with 21 points and assisted, facilitated, or initiated nearly every Pioneer basket in the second half. The only thing you could hear after she took her first step was the ball bounce, followed by scores of ‘ooh’s and ah’s.’ Whether anyone knew it or not, Chatman’s play this year has been a declaration of her intention to be the best basketball player in the Valley.
“I feel good about today’s win. We’ve been working really hard in practice, and it showed on the court,” Chatman said.
When asked about the Lady Diamondbacks second-half, Chatman’s response on the methodical nature of her and her team’s resiliency mirrored the aforementioned explosion.”We came out with a really slow start. I didn’t feel satisfied with how we were performing, so I came out with a stronger and better mentality and put some points on the board. We’re working really hard. Obviously, we can’t take any team lightly. We’re gonna play to our best potential. We’re just going game by game, step by step.”
Her co-pilot, Kassandra Garcia, was magnificent in her own right. She broke whatever defensive coverage she faced every time she dribbled the ball down the court. In the half court, her off-ball motion and precision passing complimented Chatman’s score-at-will mentality. Garcia finished the game with a casual 10 points. That was enough to give her 1,200 points for her career. Garcia has quite the career. She’s scored over 1,200 points, dished out over 400 assists, grabbed over 300 rebounds, and stolen the ball over 300 times. Most importantly, she’s been a leader through it all.
“I’m super proud of myself. I’ve worked so hard to get where I’m at. It’s such a huge accomplishment, and I’m so grateful to everyone who’s been with me along the way. I just try to be a role model for the younger girls. I try to push everyone to be the best they can be a better person every day,” Garcia said when asked about her prolific leadership.
As for Fleischmann she never stopped moving. She crashed the boards on defense, ran the floor on offense, set screens, blocked shots, dove for loose balls, and got to the free-throw line. She never relented on defense, even when cross-matches forced her to defend the perimeter. If Chatman was the brain and Garcia was the heart, then Fleischmann was the will.
“We’re locked-in at practice. That comes from our leadership, Ani and Kassi, and even Ebonie coming as a sophomore. They know what’s at stake. They know every night is a battle. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing,” Villarreal-Sandoval said about her dynamic trio.
The Lady Diamondbacks outscored the Lady Bulldogs 16-2 in the third quarter and outlasted them in the fourth and cruised to 54-28 victory. They are now 15-9 on the season ahead of matchups with crosstown rivals Sharyland, McAllen Nikki Rowe, and a rematch against Edinburg Vela. They’ll cap off that stretch on the road at PSJA North, the top seed in the district.
“Our district is too strong. We don’t have any nights off. So every practice we’re competing. We’re competing for that spot. Whether we’re 4-1 or 1-4, we’re gonna work every day,” Villarreal-Sandoval said about the team’s motivation and expectations.