By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Next stop for the Queens basketball team … playoffs.
Tuesday night the Queens basketball team put a stamp on its return trip to the playoffs when they defeated the Eagle Pass Lady Eagles 53-35 in the regular season finale for both teams.
The win sets up a playoff rematch for the Queens as Del Rio is scheduled to travel to Uvalde High School Tuesday, Feb. 13 to face the San Antonio Brennan Bears at 7 p.m. Del Rio will be the home team. Tickets will be $4 for adults and $2 for students. A link to purchase tickets will be made available soon through the official San Felipe Del Rio CISD website and social media outlets.
Brennan, ranked seventh in the state in the latest Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 poll, is the District 29-6A champion, going 16-0 in conference play and amassing a record of 27-3 overall. Their last loss was Nov. 25 in the Floresville Jaguar Classic when they lost to Grind Prep of Oklahoma City, 53-40.
Last year Brennan beat Del Rio, 68-28. Brennan reached the Region IV finals last season before falling to Clark.
Marisa Soto is in her third season as the Queens head coach, and this will be her second trip to the playoffs as coach. A product of Del Rio schools, Soto was a mainstay of Del Rio’s basketball playoff teams of the mid-2000’s. When asked what the difference is between making the playoffs as a player versus as a coach, without hesitation Soto said, “It’s way more rewarding making the playoffs as a coach.”
Led by six seniors, Lizette Rivas, Giana Urias, Alizandra Garcia, Dariela Mijangos, Kaitlyn Lewis and Annette Betancourt, all of whom were honored before the start of the Eagle Pass game, the Queens took a first quarter lead against the Lady Eagles that they’d never relinquish. Eagle Pass trailed by only five at halftime, 22-17, but Del Rio opened up the game in the third quarter behind all-district candidate Betancourt.
Betancourt, a senior, scored eight points in the quarter and dished out assists to Kaylah Livingston and Vanessa De La Cruz as she helped the Queens stay out in front of a relentless Eagle Pass squad.
Del Rio blew the game open in the fourth quarter, outscoring Eagle Pass 14-5. The only item left in doubt late in the game was if all six seniors would be able to score at least one point. As each senior scored, the crowd erupted in cheers until only Urias was left.
Soto made sure to instruct her players to get the ball back as quickly as possible to give Urias a shot at scoring. She eventually was fouled headed to the basket and calmly sank both her free throws, capping a night dedicated to the eldest leaders on the team.
Betancourt had a game to remember on what would be her final game on the floor at the Carl P. Guys Memorial Gymnasium. Unofficially she registered a triple double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals. She also added four assists and a pair of blocks.
Livingston had 10 points and five rebounds. De La Cruz had six points, Lewis had five points, Zoey Martinez had three points, Rivas, Urias, Garcia and Mijangos each had two points, and Yolisbeth Flores had one point.
Maria Bres led Eagle Pass with 14 points.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
