Warriors top Hebbronville to clinch share of 6th league title

SANTA ROSA — It was like an exclamation point.

Rick Cavazos dished the ball to Aaron Ramirez underneath the basket and Ramirez slammed it in for two late in the fourth period.

And just as Ramirez was dominant around the hoop Friday night against Hebbronville, so has Santa Rosa in District 32-2A for the past six years.

The Warriors' dominating 85-33 win against the Longhorns clinched SR at least a share of the 32-2A crown.
It's Santa Rosa's sixth straight district title.

"It doesn't really feel like anything yet," Warriors head coach Johnny Cipriano said. "I told these guys we haven't won anything until we go undefeated in district and we still have two more games left.

"A loss in district means there's a weakness somewhere. And we want to leave no doubt that we're the better team."

The first half didn't paint a dominant portrait of the Warriors.

Santa Rosa (25-6, 10-0) shot 24 percent from the floor in the first half as the Warriors struggled to a 25-20 halftime lead. In one stretch, Santa Rosa was one-of-16 from the field.

But there was never any doubt. Just hustle.

"We just regrouped in the lockerroom and came together in the second half," senior guard Mark Cordero said. "We talked it over at the half. We're like family. We're brothers. And when we look each other in the eyes, we take each other's advice. We don't view as an insult. We just came out and stayed together."

Santa Rosa scored 35 in the third period en route to the rout.

Cordero scored a game-high 30 points for the Warriors and Ramirez and Ruben Lopez came up big in the second half.

Ramirez scored 17 and Lopez 15 all in the second half. Cavazos and Dario Mendoza each scored eight.

Lopez played with four fouls from the midway through the second period and never fouled out.

The Warriors scored 25 in the fourth period.

Santa Rosa held Hebbronville to on 13 second-half points.

"When we weren't scoring (first half) we started scrambling and got away from our gameplan," Cipriano said. "We just weren't making easy shots. I told them at the half to stick to what we're used to doing, get rebounds and push the ball."

Santa Rosa is at Bishop on Tuesday and closes out the regular season on Feb. 16 at home against Donna Idea.

Eladio Jaimez covers boys basketball for Valley Freedom Newspapers.