CLAIRE CRUZ | Special to the Herald
LOS FRESNOS — McAllen Rowe earned a hard-fought 50-44 victory over the Los Fresnos Falcons on Thursday night to open the Tournament of Champions.
During a defensive battle in which many shots were blocked, turnovers were forced and a lot of contact was made, the height of the Rowe lineup carried the Warriors through.
“You got to give credit to Los Fresnos, those kids played hard,” Rowe coach Jose Luis Yebra said. “I think the difference was our height advantage. Our kids were resilient and they worked hard, and we’re proud of them.”
Los Fresnos opened an early lead and looked in control for much of the first half. John Martinez led the charge on both sides of the ball with his aggressive style of play. He created shots for himself and his teammates, and his quick hands stymied Rowe’s offense to start the game.
The Falcons put a lot of pressure on Rowe’s shooters and kept the mid-range scoring minimal. But the Warriors called on their size to score inside and dominate the boards, getting back in the game and eventually pulling away.
Rowe’s bigs, Louie Yebra and Darrin Everage, outrebounded everyone on the court, and the extra opportunities they earned were crucial as the clock kept ticking. Everage was especially impactful below the bucket, scoring 11 second-half points and hitting some clutch free throws late.
“We told our kids we need to take advantage of our height and get the ball inside,” Yebra said. “Darrin did a good job. We fed him the ball and he was able to score, and I think that was the difference that gave us the lead and helped us win the ballgame. We knew Los Fresnos was quick to the ball, and so we told our guys we need to do a better job of defensive rebounding and we did.”
John and Josh Martinez led a valiant Falcons effort down the stretch, but some wild shots and sloppy passes as time ran out played into Rowe’s hands and helped seal the Warriors’ win.