Hidalgo, others new to state

It really doesn't get much bigger than this.

The UIL State girls basketball Final Four will get under way today, and while Hidalgo will try to find a way to continue its history-making run, it isn't the only one, either.

Hidalgo, Argyle and Lubbock Estacado are in the Class 3A state tournament for the first time.

Robinson the No. 2 seed in the 2009 Final Four and will make its fifth appearance, but it's the first time back since 1983.

Lady Pirates

With the best record out of the four teams, the Lady Pirates are awarded the top seed and will face Argyle, which has more losses than any other team in any class with 14.

One of the challenges coach Monica Rodriguez's team faces is the players dealing with the atmosphere.

The team practiced Monday at Dodge Arena, where the team was honored at halftime of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers game.

"We've played the American Bank last week and practiced (Monday) at the Dodge Arena so the girls could get use to playing in that type of atmosphere," Rodriguez said. "But I told them the basket and length of the court is still the same, and we have to play our game."

Rockets in flight

The Robinson Lady Rockets have the most school history in the state tournament with three trips in the 1970s ('70, '72, '77), 1983 and 2009. In 1970, the girls won the 3A state title.

On their way to their first state tournament appearance in 26 years, the Lady Rockets had arguably the toughest road to get to Austin.

In the regional tournament Robinson knocked out No. 2 Bullard followed by a win over Diboll, the top-ranked team in Texas according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches' 3A rankings.

Rachel Hargis is the team's leading scorer with at 10.3 points per game, and she also hauls in 6.3 rebounds per game with 1.6 blocks.

Yet the team's best player doesn't light up the scoreboard, and that's Ashley James. The senior point guard is the Lady Rockets' floor general, averaging 3.9 assists per game and 2.8 steals per game.

Next Level

The Argyle Lady Eagles are making their first showing at the state tournament as a 3A school.

Yet it wasn't too long ago that Argyle was holding up the state title trophy. The Lady Eagles won it all in 2006 as a 2A school before being bumped up a class.

Argyle has won 14 of its last 15 games after a rocky 5-13 start to the season. Lady Eagles coach Steve Schmidt said his team has come together and that the girls seem to be getting stronger round by round.

"We played much bigger schools and it was tough to hold on to our confidence, but now we have gotten on a pretty good roll," he said.

One of the keys for Schmidt's 19-14 squad will be to find the rhythm that has taken them on this Cinderella ride to the Final Four.

"It a matter of relaxing and playing the way we have been," he said. "We have to execute and get the job done."

Colbea Harris and Claire Pettibon are the team's leading scorers, combining for 22.1 PPG, and they are the Lady Eagles' biggest threats from beyond the arc.

Seeing Red

Just like Hidalgo, Lubbock Estacado is making its first trip to state.

And much like Argyle, the Lady Matadors (23-13) also had a rough start before turning it around.

The girls stumbled to a 6-9 start before clicking to a 16-4 run that lead to a co-District 1-3A title with Cooper.

In the postseason, the Lady Matadors are dropping 70.6 PPG while giving up 55.6.

Estacado averages about 5-foot-7 in height but has six-foot one Brittany Johnson clogging up the paint.

Louie Vera covers girls basketball for Valley Freedom Newspapers. He can be reached at (956) 982-6663 or via e-mail at lvera@brownsvilleherald.com.