Title Quest: Lady Pirates take Valley along for Final Four ride

It's March Madness, and the Rio Grande Valley has center stage.

The Hidalgo Lady Pirates are the top seed in the UIL State Final Four, where it will clash with a rolling Argyle squad for a 2 p.m. tipoff for a chance at a state title at the Frank Ewrin Center in Austin.

Hidalgo (37-2) already has rewritten the Valley history books and can continue to do so with a win over the Lady Eagles (19-14).

The Lady Pirates are the first team modern-era RGV girls basketball team to reach the state tournament since Lyford accomplished the feat in 1974 in six-man basketball. Full court basketball for girls wasn't implemented until 1978, so every win Hidalgo writes another chapter in this historic season.

"We aren't just going up there for Hidalgo," Lady Pirates coach Monica Rodriguez said. "We are there win it for the Valley, too."

The Lady Pirates haven't lost since New Year's eve and coming into the Final Four with a full head of steam after knocking off No. 3 C.C. West Oso in a 37-36 thriller last Saturday.

For Argyle it hasn't been pretty, but lately the Lady Eagles have been a team no one wants to face.

The Lady Eagles didn't exactly have the ideal start to the season as they fell to 5-13, but since then they have found a groove and won 14 of their last 15 games, propelling them to its second state appearance in four years.

Despite its eye-popping 14 losses, Rodriguez is fully aware that Argyle is dangerous and just as good as the rest of the competing teams.

"Any team from this point on we face in the playoffs is a great basketball team," Rodriguez said. "They reach this point for a reason, and we are not going to take anyone lightly."

One of the biggest concerns for the Lady Pirates will be defending the arc. Argyle's Colbea Harris is ranked seventh in 3-point shots made in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for 3A schools. Harris also is the team's leading scorer, averaging 11.6 points.

Teammates Claire Pettibon (34) and Amy Beecher (33) are also a threat from downtown, which must be a priority for Hidalgo if it expects to take another step toward gold.

"We know they have a sharp shooting 3-point team," Rodriguez said. "They like to run a 1-2-2 press, and we've prepared hard to their style of play."

A big key for Hidalgo will be to stay in its element, which means getting shots for senior Victoria Gonzalez and mistake-free basketball from sophomore Nashae Owens.

Gonzalez (25.4 PPG, 13.8 rebounds per game) and Owens (7.4 assists per game and 7.2 steals per game) molded themselves into a dangerous 1-2 punch, and Lady Eagles coach Steve Schmidt knows that.

"We've played some tough teams and know we are going to have to deal with a great point guard and post player they have," he said. "We've been tested, and they have 37 wins so they are going to be tough."

The winner of the game will face either Robinson or Lubbock Estacado for the state title at 10 a.m. Saturday.

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.

HIDALGO'S ROSTER

No. Name Pos. Class Height

3 Mirales Perales  G Jr.   5-7

4 Jessica Olvera F Jr. 5-8

10 Estefania  Serna PG Jr. 5-5

11 Nicolette Gonzales G So. 5-6

12 Daisy Pitones P Jr. 5-8

13 Nashea Owens PG So. 5-7

20 Jessica Castillo G So. 5-7

23 Edna Duran G So. 5-3

25 Victoria Gonzalez C Sr. 6-0

31 Nelly Flores P Fr.  5-10

34 Bianca Martinez  C Sr. 5-10

HIDALGO'S GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS

Date Time Opponent  Result

Nov. 14 7:30 pm. vs. Sharyland 65-21 (W)

Nov. 18 6 p.m. vs. Weslaco East 63-27 (W)

Nov. 22 2 p.m. @ Veterans Memorial 52-19 (W)

Nov. 25 7:30 p.m. @ Edcouch-Elsa 70-29 (W)

Nov. 28 10 a.m. vs. PSJA North 63-39 (W)

Dec. 2 7:30 p.m. vs. Mission High 56-23 (W)

Dec. 4 1 p.m. vs. Nixon (Border Bash) 73-33 (W)

Dec. 4 5:30 p.m. vs. Cedar Park (Bash) 43-67 (L)

Dec. 6 10 a.m.  vs. Lubb. Coro. (Bash) 33-28 (W)

Dec. 6 2:30 p.m. vs. Seguin 56-33 (W)

Dec. 11 6:30 p.m. vs. St. Joseph (BISD) 65-41 (W)

Dec. 12 1:00 p.m. vs. Hanna (BISD) 62-39 (W)

Dec. 12 5:30 p.m. vs. Edin. High (BISD )62-45 (W)

Dec. 13 6:00 p.m. vs. Harl. High (BISD) 54-44 (W)

Dec. 19 7:30 p.m. vs. Port Isabel 76-24 (W)

Dec. 19 8:00 p.m. @ Progreso 80-11 (W)

Dec. 29 Noon vs.G-Portland (Josten) 55-47 (W)

Dec. 29 4:30 p.m. vs. E-E (Josten) 68-36 (W)

Dec. 30 Noon vs. Los Fresnos (Josten) 61-28 (W)

Dec. 31 10 a.m. vs. Edin. North (Josten) 54-37 (W)

Jan. 2 7:30 p.m. vs. King (Josten) 43-46 (L)

Jan. 6 7:30 p.m. vs. Rio Hondo 75-16 (W)

Jan. 9 8 p.m. @ Lyford 96-33 (W)

Jan. 13 7:30 p.m. vs. La Feria 67-41 (W)

Jan. 16  7:30 p.m. @ Zapata 67-39 (W)

Jan. 20 7:30 p.m. @ Port Isabel 103-41 (W)

Jan. 23 7:30 p.m. vs. Progreso 73-11 (W)

Jan. 27 8 p.m. @ Raymondville 69-38 (W)

Jan. 30 7:30 p.m. @ Rio Hondo 67-22 (W)

Feb. 3 7:30 p.m. vs. Lyford 73-19 (W)

Feb. 6 7:30 p.m. @ La Feria 63-48 (W)

Feb. 10  7:30 p.m. vs. Zapata 99-35 (W)

Feb. 20 7:30 p.m.  @ Lytle 55-40 (W)

Feb. 24 7:30 p.m. @ Ingleside 61-44 (W)

Feb. 27 8 p.m. vs. Royal (at C.C. Ray) 44-34 (W)

Feb. 28 1 p.m. vs. W. Oso (at C.C. Ray) 37-36 (W)

Mar. 5 2 p.m. vs. Argyle ( at Austin)

STATE BOUND

Who: Hidalgo (37-2) vs. Argyle (19-14)

What: Class 3A girls state basketball tournament semifinal

Where: Frank Erwin Center, Austin

When: Thursday at 2 p.m., with the winner playing Saturday for state championship at 10 a.m.

Hidalgo (37-2)

Coach: Monica Rodriguez

Top Players: Victoria Gonzalez (25.4 ppg, 13.8 rpg), Nashae Owens (7.4 apg, 7.2 spg)

State Tournament AppeArances: 2009

State Titles: None

Argyle (19-14)

Coach: Steve Schmidt

Top Players: Colbea Harris (11.6 ppg, 2.7 apg), Claire Pettibon (10.5 ppg)

State Tournament AppeArances: 2006, '09

State Titles: 2006 (2A)

Robinson (32-5)

Coach: Brenda Gomez

Top Players: Ashley James (3.9 apg, 2.8 spg) , Rachel Hargis (10.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg), Hanna Abbe (9.0 ppg)

State Tournament Apperances: 1970, 1972, 1977, 1983, 2009

State Titles: 1970

Lubbock Estacado (23-13)

Coach: Diane Morgan

Top Players: Brittney Johnson (15.0 ppg)

State Tournament Apperances: 2009

State Titles: None

Tickets: Single game tickets are $12 for adults and children two years and older. They can be purchased at the door, online at texasboxoffice.com or  by phone at (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-2386.

Directions: Take 77 North to I-37, merge onto  I-410 N, Exit 235A toward 15th & MLK Blvd. Make left at I-35/I 35 Service Rd. Left at E. 15 St. and right at Red River St. Frank Erwin Center will be on right side.