SAN BENITO — The scenario is simple: If San Benito beats Brownsville Hanna in the regular-season finale at home on Friday, the Greyhounds share the District 32-5A title with the Golden Eagles and become the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

The ’Hounds (18-7, 9-4) are already playoff bound for the first time since 2003 regardless of Friday’s outcome. But the way second-year coach Xavy Acosta sees it, why not try to do something that no other San Benito team has done since 1995.

“It’s been nearly 20 years since the baseball program here has won a league championship and now here we are in position to make history. We have to make the most of the opportunity,” Acosta said.

The fact that the Greyhounds are indeed on the verge of success is quite miraculous considering the baseball program’s history of mediocrity over the past several years.

Since 2007, the ’Hounds are a dismal 40-91 overall, 17-53 in district and have never finished better than fourth in the standings. The 2009 team was the best of the worst as it finished 5-9 in loop play and narrowly missed the postseason after losing a fourth-place tiebreaker to Weslaco.

Last year, which was Acosta’s first year as the ’Hounds’ skipper,

the team went 3-11 in league play and finished in dead last.

“Having to change everyone’s negative attitude toward baseball was the first thing I had to do when I got here,” Acosta said. “And not just the players’ attitudes, but everyone in the entire community.

“I had to instill in everyone that if you don’t love baseball, nobody else is going to.”

But getting San Benito to embrace baseball is easier said than done. Especially when San Benito softball is such a huge success and so wildly popular.

While the baseball team was on its way to another losing season in 2011, the softball team became the first Valley squad to make it to the state quarterfinals. What’s more, the softball program has missed the playoffs only once since the program’s inception in the early 1990s.

Regardless of the contrast, Acosta, who had coaching stints at Harlingen South and Santa Rosa prior to coming to San Benito, was determined to turn things around.

“I told these kids from Day 1 that they had to be ready to play baseball and take it seriously because baseball is a serious game,” Acosta said.

Last year, it tuned out that the team wasn’t ready and it didn’t look like it was ready this year either.

Despite a solid non-district season that saw the ’Hounds go 10-4, the team dropped three of four to start the district slate and looked on its way to another disappointing finish.

But then “The Streak” began. Between March 23 through April 17, the ’Hounds rattled off eight straight wins, including huge come-from-behind victories over Brownsville Porter and defending league champion Weslaco.

“The guys really came together,” Acosta said. “We got great pitching, played great defense and found a way to drive in runs, which is something we didn’t do in the past.”

Leading the way for the ’Hounds on the mound this season is Alan Ramirez, Jacob Puente and Greg Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Homer Longoria, Jerry Arizpe and Puente have been leading the way at the plate.

“It’s really been a total team effort,” Acosta said. “The guys are believing in themselves and seeing how success can be achieved through hard work and determination.

“We’re not finished yet, though. We’ll be ready for Hanna come Friday then we’ll take it from there.”

San Benito baseball players (l-r) Jacob Puente, Alan Ramirez, Adan Guzman, Greg Rodriguez and Jose Arizpe along with head coach Xavy Acosta are one win from clinching their first district title in 17 years.

The San Benito Lady Greyhounds spoiled the Porter Cowgirls’ chance to clinch the outright District 32-5A title with a 5-4 victory Tuesday in Southmost.

Porter (23-4, 12-1 district) already has a share of the district crown and clinched a playoff spot weeks ago. Tuesday, though, was its chance to take the No. 1 spot and the outright title on senior day.

San Benito (21-4, 11-2) had other ideas.

“Anytime we get together, it’s always a barnburner,” San Benito coach Elias Martinez said. “It’s a great ballgame, this is what softball is all about.”

The Cowgirls beat the Lady ‘Hounds the first time they met, so this was kind of a matter of revenge. It also a was a matter of San Benito trying to keep itself in the hunt for the district title, of which they can secure a share with a win Friday against Brownsville Hanna and a Porter loss at Los Fresnos.

Half of that will be out of the Lady ‘Hounds’ hands. Tuesday, though, was all them.

“Our girls know what it is to play in a tough situation,” Martinez said.

There were plenty of those. And then some.

None were bigger to San Benito than Squirt Flores’ game-winning two-out double in the sixth, when she smoked the ball to center field and watched Amber Jasso, who walked to reach base, race around the diamond and score standing up.

The Cowgirls had a chance to answer in the bottom half of the inning, as they put runners at second and third with one out, but Jasso struck out Vero Guevara and got pinch hitter Maricela Gaytan to pop-up to end the threat.

“They’re mentally tough,” Martinez said of his team. “We’re going to come through more than not.”

For Porter, it was one of several times the Cowgirls couldn’t get the big hit or big out.

“We had a lot of chances to score,” Porter coach Luis Guevara said. “Amber pitched well, they played good defense.”

Jasso gave up a one-out single to Sujei Tovar in the seventh, but she got Erica Sanchez to bunt out into a fielder’s choice and then struck out Alexa Briones to end the game with the tying run at second base.

The crowd left dejected, but the Lady ‘Hounds and their fans did not.

“Not bad,” Martinez said. “Our girls play hard, they just don’t give up.”

The Lady Greyhounds scored all five of their runs with two outs, including a four-run rally in the third inning. During that spurt, the first big hit came via a Jackie Elizondo popup that found no-mans land in between first and second.

After a passed ball plated Kasey Sanchez to make it 2-1, Clarissa Huerta doubled the Lady ‘Hounds lead with a two-RBI hit.

That lead held until the fifth, when Sabrina Garcia socked a three-run home run to dead center field to tie the game at 4.

The next time the Lady ‘Hounds batted, they took the lead.

“I told the girls I was proud of them,” Luis Guevara said. “Nothing to be ashamed of, can’t win them all.”

Porter struck first on Daniella Gonzalez’s second-inning homer to left field. The Cowgirls were led by Tovar, who singled three times and reached base in all four of her plate appearances.

Flores fronted San Benito, as she went 4-for-4 with a double, a run and that key RBI.

Read more: http://www.rgvsports.com/articles/outright-11479-porter-benito.html#ixzz1tFRabjQ3

The San Benito Lady Greyhounds' Amber Jasso (3) tries to get an out as the Porter Cowgirls' Genesis Romero (4) is caught between second and third base Tuesday at Porter.

SAN BENITO — For students Bernaby Castrejon and Marco Rodriguez, the award-winning video that captured the rivalry of the Battle of the Arroyo will help them launch their careers.

In December, the school district’s KSBG-TV 17 won Nike’s High School Rivalry Tour Contest for the video project.

“I’d never had an accomplishment like that before,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve never felt so excited in my life.”

Nike lauded the TV station’s dramatization of one of the state’s fiercest football rivalries.
“Of all the schools in Texas, our rivalry was the greatest and our video proved it,” Castrejon said. “I really like how we incorporated the Battle of the Arroyo along the years.”
Featuring game footage, KSBG-TV 17’s powerful video sheds light on the rivalry between the San Benito Greyhounds and the Harlingen Cardinals, with candid interviews with San Benito Athletics Director and Head Coach Gantt, KGBT-TV Channel 4’s Clay Williams and Greyhound football players.

“It was teamwork,” Castrejon said. “It was working together to come up with a great project.”

The project taught students to produce top quality productions, Castrejon said.

“I learned what is expected of professionals — hard work, dedication, determination,” he said.

The project helped students hone skills in production techniques, Rodriguez said.
“I learned to edit more — how to do dramatic cinematics,” he said.

The award included a uniform for each member of the Greyhound varsity football team and a uniform for each member of the San Benito High School varsity cheerleading team.

March 01, 2012 10:27 PM
By FERNANDO DEL VALLE
Valley Morning Star
fernandodv@valleystar.com

Article taken from Valley Morning Star on March 2, 2012

The Greyhounds (5-1, 1-0) were leading 1-0 when Sergio Rodriguez hit a single in the top of the fourth and then advanced to second on a throwing error by third basemen Aaron Figueroa. Greyhounds pitcher Jacob Puente then struck out the next two batters followed by an intentional walk to Ozzie Benavides. Tony Castillo drove in a run, followed by Javier Pena with a two-run hit to give the Raiders (1-4, 0-1) a 3-1 lead. San Benito tacked on a run in the top of the fifth to give them a 4-1 lead heading into the sixth.

“Our number one pitcher had a rough day,” Greyhounds coach Xavy Acosta said. “They weren’t hitting the ball hard and getting bloop singles. We had to fight through tough pitching and our team showed character.”

Fighting through tough pitching was an understatement as Raiders pitcher Ernesto Dorantes had a no hitter going despite hitting three batters by that point. Dorantes would go on to give up three runs in the inning behind a balk with the bases loaded, a RBI single from Guzman, and a sacrifice fly from Tommy Padilla to trail 4-3 going into the seventh inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Dorantes hit Jose Arizpe to start the inning, but struck out Jerry Arizpe after to bring the Greyhounds hopes to two outs. Puente then advanced to second on an error by Ozzie Benavides which set the stage for Guzman’s walkoff.

Dorantes pitched a complete game with five hits, eight strikeouts and five runs. All five of Dorantes runs were given up during the last two innings. Puente pitched four and a third with four runs, nine hits and six strikeouts. Alan Ramirez pitched two and two thirds of scoreless ball in relief to go with three hits and three strikeouts.

“They’re going to be tough,” Acosta said. “They won’t sneak up on us again.”

Guzman’s walkoff was his only hit in the night going one for two with a strikeout and two RBI. Leading the way for the Raiders was catcher Javier Pena who went three for four with a double and two RBI.

“We played well but walks killed us,” Raiders coach Joe Vela said. “Three HBP and we didn’t make the played when we had to. They played well in the end.”

After weeks of speculation and preparation for different scenarios, it was the most unlikely of scenarios that came to fruition Thursday.

None were more surprised by the UIL’s realignment of school districts than Harlingen and San Benito.

Early Thursday, as the UIL released the new district alignments for the 2012-14 school years at the Region One offices, coaches scrambled to open the packets and learn where they’d be competing the next two years.

Most weren’t expecting what they saw.

For the past six years, the Harlingen Cardinals and Harlingen South Hawks have competed in District 31-5A.

The Harlingen schools will now compete in District 32-5A, where they’ll join Los Fresnos and six Brownsville schools, including varsity newcomer Brownsville Veterans Memorial.

“We’re going to do the best we can in a new environment,” Cardinals head football coach Manny Gomez said. “It doesn’t really mater to us. It’s going to be old-school Cardinal football versus the Brownsvilles.”

The San Benito Greyhounds, members of 32-5A the last six years, will move to District 31-5A, where they will compete against three McAllen high schools, three PSJA schools, Weslaco and Weslaco East.

Already heralded as the toughest district in the Rio Grande Valley, 31-5A consists of seven playoff teams and four district champions from the 2011 season.

“It’s going to be fun,” Greyhounds head football coach and athletic director Spencer Gantt said. “Any team that comes out of this district (and into the playoffs) is gonna be one baaad team.”

The Cardinals and Greyhounds will continue their long-running rivalry game, the Battle of the Arroyo. The 83rd installment of the rivalry will take place during Week One.

“There was never a question about playing that game,” Gomez said. “It’s tradition.”

Essentially Harlingen and San Benito, which many figured would end up in the same district again after years of being apart, just swapped leagues.

“In sitting down with our coaches, there were three or four scenarios that we figured might play out,” Harlingen CISD athletic director Randy Cretors said. “This was probably the third or fourth scenario. We never thought we wouldn’t be in the same district with San Benito.”

The Valley picked up four 5A schools in the new alignments in Brownsville Veterans, Edinburg Vela, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and Weslaco East.

Cretors said Mission High’s drop to Class 4A might have left the UIL with no choice but to go with three nine-team 5A districts.

Mission turned in an enrollment of 2,084. The Class 5A cutoff was 2,090.

“I think we all felt that Mission might stay in 5A,” Cretors said. “With them dropping down, it left us with 27 5A schools.”

The wrinkle in all plans came in planning non-district games.

With nine teams in the district, eight of the 10 regular season games will be league contests.

For the Cardinals, Gomez was left scrambling for games.

Gomez secured a Week Zero game against San Antonio Johnson, tentatively at Boggus Stadium.

San Benito will play Los Fresnos and PSJA in its non-district slate. The South Hawks will open the season against McAllen Rowe and PSJA Memorial before opening up 32-5A action.

Mercedes Tigers gets new foes in 32-4A

EDINBURG — Out with the old, in with the new.

Somewhat.

At the UIL biennial realignments announced on Thursday at the Region One ESC, District 32-4A took a new look with mainstays Mercedes and Edcouch-Elsa welcoming some new and old friends back into the district.

While old foes Weslaco East and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln became 5As, Mercedes and 32-4A welcome Mission and varsity newcomer PSJA Southwest.

The Mercedes Tigers will also play a solid non-district schedule.

The Tigers will tangle with state powerhouse Calallen, followed by La Feria and Hidalgo.

Follow Eladio on Twitter @lamerapluma

SAN BENITO — The Lady Greyhounds hosted the Harlingen Cardinals Monday night at Lady Greyhound Stadium, running away with a 10-0 victory that, even though one-sided, added to the rivalry between both teams.

“Harlingen is always tough,” said San Benito head coach Elias Martinez. “It’s a great rivalry and everyone brings their ‘A’ game.”

San Benito’s ‘A’ game would be reflected on the scoreboard like a report card as they lit it up evenly throughout the game, scoring two runs in each of the first, third, fifth, and sixth innings to earn the victory.

Not only did the scoreboard demonstrate the Greyhounds’ prowess on offense, it gave an insight on how well their defense played as they prevented a talented Cardinal offense from scoring.

Leading that San Benito defense was freshman pitcher Crystal Castillo, who struck out four batters on her way to a six-inning complete game shutout.

“She’s tough, she’s mentally tough and she battled all afternoon,” Martinez said of the freshman. “She got into a little bit of trouble [during the game] and got herself out of it.”

Martinez received some help from her shortstop Adrianna ‘Squirt’ Flores, who was responsible for four defensive outs, including a terrific diving grab going to her right, snagging a Lynette Hernandez line drive to help end the fifth inning.

Offensively, the Greyhounds struck early in the first inning as Flores was brought in by Mel Gonzalez, making it 1-0, followed by Dorothy Millan’s solo homerun that put San Benito up, 2-0.

The Lady Cardinals left runners on base in the first, second, third and fourth innings, not taking advantage of the opportunities they needed to score runs.

“We left too many runners on early that really hurt us,” said Harlingen head coach Lance White. “We had a lot of mental errors and it just snowballed’ from there.”

The rivalry between the two teams was not shy of controversy as the top of the third inning ended when San Benito turned a double play after a fly ball to apparently end the inning without allowing a Harlingen score.

The umpires confirmed that a Harlingen run had come in before the double play, but the runner had left early from third causing a meeting that eventually got the whole thing sorted out correctly.

However lopsided the score, there was no doubt as to the respect both teams have for each other.

“Getting ready for district, it’s a perfect game for us to go up against a quality team like that,” Martinez said.

Then things got interesting.

PSJA came storming back as the Bears went on a 22-4 run to trim the lead to three with 12 seconds left in the game.

Abrego decided to bring his starters back in the game and David Herrera hit a free-throw shot with three seconds left in the game that gave the Greyhounds a 65-61 lead.

PSJA’s Jesse Castillo hit a three-pointer that cut the lead to one. But, luckily for the Greyhounds, the shot went in as time expired and the ’Hounds survived a scare with a 65-64 victory.

Abrego wasn’t a very happy camper after the game.

“I got after my second and third team and told them that tomorrow’s practice isn’t going to be a pretty one,” said Abrego. “Due to the fact that we played five games over the weekend, I decided to give my starters the rest of the night when we had what I felt was a comfortable lead.

“Then things took a turn for the worse with the reserves and I had to end up putting my starters back in the game toward the end. Our first team was able to get the job done and played a great game tonight. But our reserves lacked discipline and I am very disappointed in that. However, I have to also give credit to the Bears and coach Garcia. They came to play and gave us a scare.”

San Benito (7-7) came out firing early on as it was able to build a 20-10 lead with nine seconds left in the first quarter.

But PSJA (5-9) fought back as it closed the gap to three (22-19) with 5:40 left in the second quarter thanks to a 9-2 run.

However, the Greyhounds were able to shift the momentum back in their favor and outscored the Bears 38-20 giving them a 60-39 lead.

PSJA head coach Roy Garcia II said he was pleased with the way his team finished the game.

“We finished strong and I was pleased with the effort,” said Garcia. “I told my kids that they had a choice and that they could cave it in down by 21 or give it their all and make this a game.

“Well, they decided to give it their all and closed the game strong. I just wish we played like that from the very beginning. That would have definitely made this a different ball game.”

All-Area volleyball team Newcomer of the Year, Samantha Atkinson, left, Coach of the Year Ruby Medina, and MVP Kasey Sanchez stand for a portrait.

San Benito’s campaign was spectacular, as it went 24-9 on the year and captured the program’s first-ever bi-district championship with a win over Edinburg.

And because of the landmark season, the Lady ’Hounds ruled in the return of the Valley Morning Star’s All-Area volleyball team.

Kassandra Sanchez (also the 32-5A MVP) was named the All-Area Most Valuable Player while San Benito’s Ruby Medina is the area’s top coach.

Not a bad way to cap a terrific season.

“To win this is an honor,” said Sanchez, a middle blocker for the Lady ’Hounds. “This being my senior year, I worked so hard and it’s paid off.”

Sanchez was simply brilliant all year.

Another in a recent line of San Benito multi-sport standouts, Sanchez boomed 701 kills and had 203 blocks to pace San Benito to a second-place finish in 32-5A.

“It was very special since it was our senior year,” Sanchez said of the historic year. “The underclassmen played for us seniors and everybody worked hard as a team. And we had fun at the same time.”

Medina saw Sanchez for four years on the court and had high praise for her senior leader.

“She’s an all-around athlete,” Medina said of Sanchez. “I moved her up as a freshman and she grew each season. She was very loyal to the program and she’s just awesome.

She’s a tremendous athlete and I told her she had the talent to play Division-I volleyball.”

Sanchez has already verbally committed to Texas-Pan American to play for the Lady Broncs and will sign next week.

“It’s awesome,” Sanchez said of signing with the D-I program. “Being able to accomplish one thing and now I’m gonna have to work harder to take it up a notch to play at the next level.”

In a year that had so many team accomplishments, it’s only fitting that Sanchez said it’s the team camaraderie she’ll remember most along with that elusive playoff victory.

“My teammates and winning that playoff game that hadn’t been done before,” Sanchez said. “We never played a home playoff game, so it was pretty exciting.”

Medina, a San Benito grad who’s coached her hometown team for the past nine years, knew this team would be special after a little seasoning.

“We started a little shaky since we had a couple of new setters,” Medina said. “I told the girls we’d be OK, and we devoted a lot of the time to the setters.

After that, I felt the team built a lot of confidence. It started from there and things fell into place. I was very proud of out setters for adjusting and we played well.”

San Benito started to win matches and was a mainstay in the Valley Freedom Newspapers’ Top 10 for the most part. It finished at No. 6.

“We were doing so well and I felt that the team chemistry was a big part of that,” Medina said. “The girls felt very comfortable with the team we had. No bitterness or anything like that. They were very united and that helped a lot this year.”

The magic came with a playoff win against Edinburg at home. San Benito won a five-game thriller to win its first-ever playoff match. They fell to Laredo Alexander in area.

“T

hey wanted to make history and they always said that. They had their minds set to what they wanted to do,” Medina said. “That was one of our goals from the beginning. It was a tough match against Edinburg (five games), but our girls wanted it so bad. I was very excited and proud of the girls. They deserved it.”

Meanwhile, Ri

o Hondo’s Samantha Atkinson was named the area’s top newcomer.

Atkinson was all over the court for a very young Lady Bobcats team at setter and outside hitter. The sophomore also nabbed 32-3A’s all-district newcomer award.

“Samantha’s very

knowledgeable and was a good team leader for us,” Rio Hondo coach Danette Atkinson said. “I hardly ever pulled her off the court and she could play any position you wanted her to play.

She’s got great court perception, and she’s a really great setter too,” her coach added.

On a team full of sophomores, coach Atkinson is hopeful the experienced gained will lead to an improved year in 2012.

“I know she and t

he rest of the team is really gonna do a lot better next year,” she said.

Read more: http://www.rgvsports.com/articles/lady-10741-team-lead.html#ixzz1gbzxXcep

The San Benito Greyhounds' inside linebackers are Alan Bejaran (71), Rene Chavez (83) and Jamail Garza (76).

All three are juniors, and coach Spencer Gantt said each has become a reliable player at his position. The District 32-5A co-champion Greyhounds (9-2) are preparing to face District 29-5A runner-up Laredo United (9-2) in the Class 5A Division I area playoffs at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Stadium.

“These guys have been solid for us all year,” Gantt said. “They show a lot of leadership and they clog up the middle, which forces our opponents to try to go outside on us. Their contributions have been invaluable.

“We’re fortunate that these guys are versatile enough that they can play well against the run or the pass,” Gantt added. “They’re going to have their hands full this week (against United), and they’re going to come in very handy for us.”

Since United passes the ball a lot, the efforts of the three inside linebackers will be vitally important, along with those of their teammates, to the Greyhounds’ success. The three defenders are approaching the test that United poses with determination and confidence at their position.

“It feels good to be a linebacker on this defense,” said Chavez, a 5-foot-9, 200-pounder who leads the team with more than 160 tackles on the year. “This has been a great junior season, and it’ll help us a lot for next year.

“We know we face a lot of challenges this week,” he added. “We have to stop the run, but we also have to drop back and cover the pass, so it’ll definitely be a big challenge playing United.”

Bejaran echoed the thoughts of his teammate.

“It just feels great being a part of this defense,” the 5-10, 200-pound Bejaran said. “Overall, we have a great team, and just to be a part of our defense is a very good feeling.

“I think we’ve been doing a pretty good job of reading the plays (of the opposing offense),” he added. “We see a screen (pass) or something like that and we jump on it right away. I think we all have good hands and good speed.”

The Greyhounds advanced to face United by defeating Edinburg High 24-21 at home last Friday in bi-district.

“We never quit and just kept fighting (to get the win),” Bejaran said. “Early in the game, we had some mistakes, but we got things fixed and kept battling. We want to keep working hard week by week now so we can keep our season going.”

The three players said they appreciate the support the community is showing the team.

“There’s been a very good response,” Garza said. “People tell us that we’re doing a good job, and that just motivates us to keep playing as hard as we can.

“We’re going to take one play at a time, and hopefully, we’ll come out on top,” he added.

Garza, a 5-9, 190-pounder, experienced a defensive player’s dream during the Greyhounds’ 42-23 victory at home over Brownsville Lopez on Oct. 21 when he grabbed the ball from the hands of an unsuspecting Lobos ballcarrier and returned it 18 yards for a third-quarter touchdown.

“I just saw the ball there and I saw my opportunity (to take it away),” Garza said. “It was most definitely a highlight for me. As a defensive player, any opportunity you have to score, you have to take advantage of it. I just took the ball and ran.”

Added Gantt, “It was a highlight for Jamail and it was a highlight for me. If you look at the video of me on the sideline, I’m as excited as anyone on that play.”

Capturing a district co-championship and winning a bi-district playoff game has everyone on the team hoping the season will continue even longer.

“This is like a dream come true for me because I’ve always wanted to play for the Greyhounds,” Garza said.

November 17, 2011 5:16 AM
Roy Hess
The Brownsville Herald

The junior netted 25 points on the night and led the Lady Bobcats to a 59-51 victory over San Benito.

“Micheline is a great player to watch and did an excellent job tonight,” Edinburg head coach Rachel Carmona said.

With the game close throughout the entire first quarter, Edinburg (2-1) started opening things up a little as they went on a 10-4 run to take a 21-12 lead with 3:54 left in the second quarter.

But San Benito (3-4) answered back as they countered with a 6-0 run –to cut the lead to one (21-20) with 1:54 left in the quarter.

Then Mercelita took over a she scored six straight points to extend the Lady Bobcats lead to 27-20 with 52 seconds left in the first half.

Mercelita did most of her damage in the second quarter as she scored 12 of Edinburg’s 16 points in the quarter and had 18 in the first half alone.

Trailing by 5 with 7:08 left in the third quarter, the Lady Hounds took their lead since early in the contest as they went on a 9-2 run to take a 35-34 lead with 2:21 left in the third quarter. Cejay Banuelos was the spark during their run as she scored seven of the nine points for the Lady Hounds and led them with 24 points on the night.

However, Edinburg wasn’t going to have any part of that as they outscored San Benito 25-16 throughout the remainder of the contest.

San Benito Clarisse Arredondo was pleased with the way her team hung in there despite having three starters out due to injuries.

“The girls have nothing to be ashamed of. They left everything on the floor tonight,” Arredondo said. “They played with pride and I am proud of the kids.

We are probably going to be without those three starters for another two weeks because I want them to completely heal up,” she added.

Getting early playing time will help the Lady Greyhounds get going early this season.

“It’s good that these girls get some platyng time because they gain tons of confidence and can step up off of the bench when we need them to,” Arredondo said.