Carroll beat Judson, 44-37, in the finals of the Texas Riviera Classic in November. The regional winner advances to the University Interscholastic League State Tournament next Friday and Saturday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. Rivera is considered by many upstate to be an upstart the first Brownsville Independent School District boys or girls team ever to reach the regional tournament in basketball. They see the Lady Raiders as a rookie ripe for its first lesson in big-time hoops. Harlingen, a 65-39 loser to Judson earlier in the season, is seen as light scrimmage for the Lady Rockets.
Nobody is immune from the possibility of having egg or their face.
This is especially true in athletics where the ebb and flow of a game and the mental condition of the combatants can trash a finely honed form sheet in seconds. The Lady Raiders recognize the position they re in against highly favored Carroll, but sightseeing isn t their prime purpose in the Alamo City. The plan to give the state s fourth-ranked team their best shot. The victory over McAllen turned the lights on for the Lady Raiders, who admitted they, at some point, doubted the team could advance this far. It proves anything can happen.