By JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — It certainly wasn’t the start the Harlingen Cardinals were looking for as they dropped their season opener to Brownsville St. Joseph 75-60 on Tuesday.
The Bloodhounds took advantage of a young Cardinal team that was out of sync for most of the night.
Coach Lee Roy Sanchez stressed early on that the Cards would have to play aggressive defense to win games this season. Sure enough, the Cardinals did play tough D, but found themselves in foul trouble in the beginning minutes of the match.
“We were out of position and the guys weren’t rotating properly,” Sanchez said. “Matt Sesler got in foul trouble early and that didn’t help us defensively.”
The Bloodhounds attempted 14 free throws in the first half of the game and that was ultimately the reason for their 38-22 lead heading into halftime.
“They were patient moving the ball and definitely took advantage of us in the fouling game,” Sanchez continued.
Moving into the second half the fouls continued to commence as the Cardinals committed four within two minutes of play. The Bloodhounds attempted 13 free throws in the third quarter alone, finding themselves in the bonus early on.
Point guard Michael Arellano led the Cards with 19 points hitting four 3-pointers and is a bright spot for the team moving forward. Arellano also finished the night with three steals.
The Cardinals will face the Bloodhounds again in the upcoming Brownsville ISD tournament this weekend and will look to fix their defensive strategy.