BY KEVIN NARRO | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
MISSION — Going into Friday night’s District 31-5A tilt, Mission Veterans Memorial coach Romeo De La Garza wanted his team to stay within the system and play its style of basketball. It wasn’t until the second half when the Patriots found their form.
Derrick De Leon sparked a 10-0 run to give the Patriots a lead and ignite a 41-29 win over Sharyland Pioneer to improve their district record to 2-0.
“Coach just wanted me to stay calm and play my game,” De Leon said. “I admit I was too anxious in the first half. In the second half is where I got on a roll and played Patriot basketball.”
Both teams got off to a sluggish start. However, Pioneer was able to manage a lead during both the first and second quarter. Pioneer led by as many as 6 points during the second quarter despite not having the services of its top scorer, Jordan Wilson.
“We talked to our guys at halftime, and we wanted them to stay patient in going to the basket,” De La Garza said. “We felt if we got into the paint, we would have a shot. I felt we did a much better job in the second half with our penetration. Our guys really wanted this game. It’s a tough district, and that’s one thing we talked to our guys about.”
Mission Veterans came out swinging on both sides of the ball. Alex Rodriguez teamed up with De Leon to spark a third-quarter run.
Mission Veterans stymied the Pioneer offense during the third quarter, while the Patriots netted 14 points during that frame.
“For the team and I, it has been turnovers,” De Leon said. “Those have been hard to overcome. We normally get better towards the end, and that was the case for us tonight.”
After letting a halftime lead slip away, Mission Veterans outscored Pioneer 29-13 during the second half. Mission Veterans (11-6 overall), winners of four straight, has a home matchup against Laredo Nixon next week.
“They’re a tough team,” De La Garza said, “(so) this was a big road win for us.”
Despite being scoreless during the first half, De Leon was the catalyst in the team’s second-half surge.
“I got a little carried away in the first half, and Coach called me out for that. But, hey, I thank him for that,” De Leon said. “It made me realize what I needed to do. I was forcing shots, and that’s not what I do. I settled down in the second half and got back to doing what I do.”
Indeed, De Leon finished strong, scoring with a team-high 14 points.
As for Pioneer (6-8, 0-2 in district), it must now regroup and prepare for Rio Grande City next week.