Boys basketball notebook: District 31-5A proving strong again

It happened in football a couple of years ago. And it’s happening now during basketball.

District 31-5A has always been competitive in sports. And that was evident when three teams (Harlingen, Edinburg North and PSJA North) advanced to the third round of the football playoffs in 2009.

This postseason, the 31-5A representatives swept the competition from District 32-5A, which included three district champs (Brownsville Porter, Brownsville Hanna and Weslaco).

Co-champ and second seed Harlingen South ousted the Panthers, 54-26, on Tuesday.

Third seed Edinburg North beat Hanna, 48-40, on Monday in Brownsville and the fourth-seeded Edinburg Bobcats rallied to beat Brownsville Porter, 68-60, on Tuesday at EHS.

The Harlingen Cardinals defeated 32-5A fourth seed Los Fresnos at home too.

Bobcats head coach Zeke Cuellar said the rigors of playing in 31-5A readied all four teams for the playoffs.

“It was a roller coaster of a season and you really couldn’t pinpoint who was going to win the district until the last couple of days,” said Cuellar, whose Bobcats failed to win a seventh straight league crown.

“When the season started, we all knew it was going to be competitive. And it’s evident by all four of us steal being alive in the playoffs.”

District 29-5A also swept District 30-5A setting up a Laredo vs. RGV area slate.

Edinburg takes on Laredo United in Alice and the Cougars play 29-5A champs Laredo Martin at RGC.

The Cardinals hit the road to Roma to take on Laredo Alexander and South goes to Flour Bluff to play Laredo Nixon. The Mustangs are fresh off their upset of the Valley’s top-ranked Sharyland Rattlers on Monday.

All games are Friday at 7:30 p.m.

“Playing each other made us better,” Cuellar said of 31-5A. “We play in a tough district and it definitely prepared us.”

SPRINGBOARD: if Brownsville Veterans head coach Larry Gibson needed some reassurance about his program, he got it on Tuesday.

The Chargers beat the District 31-4A top seed, CC Ray, in overtime at Raymondville, 53-51, to earn a date with San Antonio Burbank on Friday in a Class 4A area game.

It’s the Chargers (21-12) first ever playoff win in the school’s two-year existence.

“It reinforces all the hard work we’ve put in the past two years,” said Gibson, a longtime head coach for the Pace Vikings before taking over at Veterans.

“We lost 22 games last year and really struggled a lot.”

The Chargers take on San Antonio Burbank on Friday at CC Carroll High School hoping to keep the dream season alive.

Gibson led the Vikings to several district titles and the playoffs in his 16 years at Pace.

But the longtime coach said Tuesday’s win was one one of the most memorable in his career.

“It meant so much to the kids,” Gibson said. “It’s something they won’t forget the rest of their lives.”

REMATCH: For guys like Ricky Cantu and AJ Garza of La Villa, it’s redemption time.

Cantu and Garza lead the La Villa Cardinals into the second round of the playoffs and a meeting with the Mason Punchers.

The Punchers knocked out La Villa from the football playoffs in the are round as well, 64-20, back in November.

The Cardinals basketball team won the District 32-A, Division I title and finished the season at 23-9.

Garza led the Valley in rebounds averaging 13.2 per game.