By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
PORT ISABEL — Port Isabel led at the break, but it wasn’t hitting its free throws against St. Joseph Academy.
The Lady Tarpons concentrated on free throw shooting during the intermission and that extra work came in handy as Gabby Murchison had nine points in the second half, including some big free throws down the stretch, to help the Lady Tarpons hold off the Lady Bloodhounds 47-43 in a non-district girls basketball game Friday.
Murchison scored a game-high 13 points, including 7 of 12 from the foul line (5 of 8 in the second half), grabbed nine rebounds and had four steals for the Lady Tarpons.
“I know that every time you go up for a free throw, you have to relax and block out the crowd, it’s mental,” Murchison said. “I knew we had to push it in the second half, we had to be aggressive and keep shooting. (This win) builds our confidence and we’re ready for (district play).”
Port Isabel led at halftime, but St. Joseph rallied in the third quarter. A jumper by Maria Del Pozo got the Lady Bloodhounds within six. But after trading buckets, a jumper by Rylen Galvan put the Lady Tarpons back up 33-24. St. Joseph then went on a 7-0 run to pull within two, but a layup by Murchison pushed the Port Isabel lead back to four. Right before the buzzer, Gisele Sampayo had a put back that kept the Lady Bloodhounds within four heading into the final quarter.
A jumper by Allison Stachowiak got St. Joseph within 40-37 during the fourth quarter, but Port Isabel went on a 4-0 run to push the lead back to seven. Later a pair of buckets by Lauren Salazar got the Lady Bloodhounds within three, but Murchison hit another free throw to extend the lead back to four and seal the victory for the Lady Tarpons.
“We pressed the whole game and Gabby is very versatile for us … people don’t expect her to be that quick,” Port Isabel coach Hannah Burleson said. “We stayed after it from end-to-end defensively, it was a very physical game. Our girls played hard and I think having a lot of heart and competing will get you there on close games.”
St. Joseph couldn’t get any closer than three with a few costly turnovers on some late possessions.
“We’re very inexperienced and under pressure we still turn the ball over at the most inconvenient times,” St. Joseph coach Nora Zamarripa said. “Until we learn to cherish the basketball and value it, we’re going to continue to struggle.”
Port Isabel slowly built a lead in the first half. After Sampayo tied the game at 6 with a jumper, the Lady Tarpons went on a 4-0 run before Sampayo hit a bucket, but St. Joseph trailed 10-8 after one.
In the second quarter, Sabrina Garza had back-to-back steals and a finish to put Port Isabel up 14-10. Buckets by Stachowiak, Camila Martinez and Milandra Bosolo kept the Lady Bloodhounds close, but Murchison had a layup and Ava Gomez hit a pair of free throws as the Lady Tarpons took an 8-point lead at halftime. Garza had 11 of her 12 points before the break.
Salazar and Stachowiak each finished with 10 points and combined for 11 rebounds and six steals for St. Joseph.
The Lady Bloodhounds outscored Port Isabel in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a halftime deficit.
“We came back, we did some really good things, but we missed a lot of shots that we shouldn’t have missed,” Zamarripa said of her team’s second half performance. “We’re still challenging them to box out and rebound … when they learn that, they’re going to be really good. We need to play smarter (late in the game).”
Galvan finished with nine points and 11 rebounds and Sabrina Gonzalez added six points and three steals for the Lady Tarpons.
Even with a less than stellar performance at the foul line, Port Isabel heads into district play having won four straight.
“Our free throws need some work … they’re 90 percent mental, but those will come,” Burleson said. “It’s huge, this is four in a row for us and for our girls, mentally. I think this is right where we need to be … I don’t think we’ve peaked yet, but we’re climbing to where we need to be at the right time.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.