This year, the Diamondbacks left nothing to chance.
Sharyland Pioneer completed a 14-0 run through district Tuesday night as the Diamondbacks ran through La Joya Palmview 76-49 at Pioneer High School. It’s Pioneer’s second consecutive district championship and its second overall in program history.
“That was our No. 1 priority going into district,” senior forward Luke Padilla said about finishing unbeaten in 31-5A. “Just leave no doubt. Don’t drop shoulders too early and keep that ‘Mamba Mentality.’”
The Diamondbacks started and finished with that mindset as Padilla kicked things off by draining three straight 3-pointers and accounting for Pioneer’s first 11 points.
“Luke’s been great for us. Those three 3-pointers off the back helped out. He was feeling it, and in our program, whoever’s feeling it, we’re going to find them,” Sharyland Pioneer head coach Rene Gonzalez said.
Padilla finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Senior Derek Luna added 19 points, including 12 during the second half.
Luna, who transferred into Pioneer over the summer after moving back to the Rio Grande Valley, said he’s proud of the way the Diamondbacks played together from Day 1.
“It’s like I never left. They brought me in with open arms and we were just having fun. They won it last year, and now we got that second district championship, it’s a good feeling knowing all the hard work is paying off,” he said. “It’s a lot of sacrifice, a lot of work in the gym, and just trusting each other. We got it done and we’re happy about that.”
Before the game, Pioneer held Parent’s Night as the Diamondbacks seniors took the court for their finalregular-season home game. Gonzalez got on the microphone and expressed appreciation for his senior group, some of whom have been with him since their freshman year.
“They mean a lot. They’re special to me. Every player that’s been through my program and ex-players, they’re all special, but this group is a special group,” Gonzalez said. “Some of these kids have been starting since their freshman or sophomore year, and they built it up. One of the things we wanted to do here at Pioneer was build the program up and they’ve done a fantastic job and now we’ve won back-to-back district championships.”
Now, it’s onto the playoffs for Sharyland Pioneer, which has two bi-district wins to its credit.
“Last year, we lost in the second round. It was tough not having two of our starters there because they had over 60 games of varsity experience, and they were hurt and there’s nothing you can do about it, and that stings,” Gonzalez said. “We want to continue on and it all starts in practice. Believing is what it’s about.”
District 31-5A’s top seed, Sharyland Pioneer, will meet the fourth seed from 32-5A, the Mercedes Tigers. The bi-district playoff game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. Monday tip at Sharyland Pioneer High School.
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