Lady Pirates make Valley history in modern girls hoops game

The Hidalgo girls basketball team has made Rio Grande Valley history but the Lady Pirates aren't done yet.

With the 37-36 win over C.C. West Oso Hidalgo becomes the first modern-era 5-on-5 girls team to reach the state tournament in the Valley. Before 1978, girls basketball was a 3-on-3 halfcourt game referred to as six-man basketball.

"We are so proud to be the first to get over this barrier," Hidalgo Athletic Director Albert Guerra said. "It's just a reflection of coach Monica Rodriguez, Arnold Martinez and the rest of the staff to get these girls to play at such a high level."

Edcouch-Elsa boys basketball coach Robert Capello said the last team to reach the state tournament was the Lyford girls, who earned the trip in 1973-74 season when Capello was AD.

"It was a big deal for the entire city and community," he said. "We were all excited, and it was the talk of the town. We even had a sendoff pep rally. It was a big deal then, and Hidalgo winning is a big deal now."

Harlingen High coach Nora Zamarippa was a senior on that squad and remembers the buzz around town.

"Everyone was excited and there wasn't a lot of population in Lyford, so it seemed the whole town was there," she said. "It was fun to go to Austin and take a charter bus, which we had never been on."

The team lost to Slaton in the semifinals, and Slaton went on to win the state championship. The Raymondville girls also have reached the tournament close to that time, several sources said.

In 1965, the Weslaco High Lady Panthers lost to Victoria 63-46 in the 3A state championship.

For the boys, the famous 1961-62 Donna Redskins earned a trip to the Final Four the year of the Valley's only football state title.

In the 70s, Roma, Sharyland and Santa Rosa also earned trips to Austin, with Roma reaching the tournament in back-to-back seasons from 1975-77.

Hidalgo coach Monica Rodriguez said her team believed it could reach its goals, and now that it has the Lady Pirates are looking to reach even higher.

"We just knocked off the No. 3 team in the state, so I don't see a reason why we can't go out there to bring home a state title," Rodriguez said. "This win gives us that extra boost, and the coaches are going to do everything we can to get this team ready."

Guerra had a feeling the 2008-09 Lady Pirates were different and said the win wasn't just for them.

"The Rio Grande Valley is a close-knit group," he said. "Whoever is the last one standing we get behind them, and I knew these girls were a special group. This is not just about Hidalgo and our community, it's about the entire Valley."

Hidalgo will play in the state tournament Thursday through Saturday at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center in Austin. The opponent will be determined after the final four teams are reseeded at 9 a.m. today.

Louie Vera covers high school girls basketball for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via e-mail at lvera@brownsvilleherald.com.