The Lady Diamondbacks return to the post season having won their second straight District 31-5A championship. The team went 14-0 in district play and are 22-12 overall. Not bad considering that the team was 8-12 in non-district and tournament play.
Pioneer’s Priscilla Garza prepares to take a shot during a non-district matchup between the Lady Diamondbacks and the McAllen Memorial Lady Mustangs.
Progress Times photo by Luciano Guerra.
“It (the pre-season) was all to prepare for our district season,” said Pioneer coach Nicole Villarreal. “We played tough teams and went to tough tournaments for the very reason of making sure our kids were prepared for our district.”
The Lady Diamondbacks also had to go the entire season without Audry Hornaday, a key player in the 2019 campaign, on the floor. Instead the team evolved into a unit of eleven players, all capable of contributing when on the court, and Hornaday, who described herself as a key bench player for the team.
“She (Hornaday) is basically our support system,” said Laura Ramirez, a senior post player on the team. “We wouldn’t be here without Audry.”
According to Villarreal, Ramirez and the teams other posts (Carly Hornaday, Priscilla Garza and Hailey Silva) played a big role on the court as the season progressed, playing their roles and contributing on both ends of the court.
Villarreal also cited the team’s unselfishness as a key factor to their success. “We’re finally to a point where we are a lot more patient on offense,” said Villarreal. “We like to move the ball; we like to share the ball. They’re looking for each other. It’s pretty basketball.”
As of press time, Pioneer is still awaiting a first round opponent. Brownsville Pace and Edcouch-Elsa will play a tie-breaker game tomorrow at 11 am at Pace High School. The Lady Diamondbacks will play the winner. One year after losing by one point in the first round to Pace, Coach Villarreal thinks her team will be ready. “They’re hungry. They weren’t happy aft... Click here to read full article
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