By MARK MOLINA, Staff Writer
KINGSVILLE — After 11 lead changes and physical defense, and with a trip to the Region IV-5A basketball tournament on the line, it was only fitting that the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers and the Corpus Christi Miller Buccaneers would need more than 32 minutes to fight it out.
In the end, it just wasn’t meant to be for the Chargers.
Miller came out swinging in the overtime period and built a nine-point lead, which proved to be too much for Brownsville Veterans to overcome as it ultimately fell 58-54 in a Class 5A regional quarterfinal Monday night on the campus of Texas A&M Kingsville.
The Bucs (29-10) opened the extra period on a 9-0 run and pulled ahead 57-48, the largest lead of the night for either team, putting the Chargers on their heels and out of their game.
“In overtime, we had some opportunities early we didn’t convert,” Chargers coach Larry Gibson said. “We let (Miller) come down and hit two straight buckets, and they got confident. We then started trying to make them up, and try and shoot 3s. That wasn’t our game. We should’ve kept attacking the bucket. … I think we kind of panicked a little bit.
“My kids played hard defensively, they got to the third round with a chance at the regional tournament,” Gibson added. “I feel sorry for them, but they worked so hard this year. They gave me everything.”
The Chargers (32-6) didn’t hit from the field in overtime until Justin Anaya put in a layup with 45 seconds to go.
After Chargers guard Matt Maddox followed with a 3 moments later to make it 57-53, Paul Barrera split free throws to make it a three-point game.
But that was as close as they got, and Miller sealed the game with a Malik Edwards free throw with 4.8 seconds left, despite going 1 of 4 from the line and turning the ball over once during the final 28 seconds.
Miller coach Maurice Bastian said it took a while, but his team’s speed finally wore down the Chargers late.
“Our goal was to wear (Brownsville Veterans) out with speed, quickness and athleticism, and by applying pressure the entire game,” he said. “For the most part it worked. That’s a great ballclub, and they’re well-coached. I can’t even compare to Coach Gibson, he’s been doing it 30-plus years. I knew they had good guard play, but our goal was to wear them out by the fourth quarter. It worked for the most part, but we have to do a better job of executing.”
In the fourth, the Chargers hit just twice from the field, a pair of 3s. One from Maddox with 3:40 left tied the game at 43 and quieted the Miller crowd after a Xavier Callandret dunk moments earlier.
The other came from Anaya with 32 seconds to play to tie the game again at 48 and send it to overtime.
Anaya led the Chargers with 24 points, going 10 for 12 at the line. Damian Maldonado followed with 15.
Callandret scored 22 points to lead the Bucs, and Maleek Sanders added 14, including seven in overtime.
Brownsville Veterans opened the game with an 8-2 run before Miller began to put the pressure on both in the paint and at the perimeter with hard closeouts.
That led to a 13-3 Bucs run to finish the quarter up 15-11.
Gibson and company expected the pressure early. He knew his team could weather the storm.
“That was our game plan,” Gibson said. “We knew Miller was going to come in and outphysical us. We had to try and stand up to them early and show them we weren’t scared of them, and know we have a chance. We had a chance to win in OT, but we made some bonehead mistakes that cost us the game.”
The Chargers regained the lead on an 8-0 run led by Anaya, who hit a trey to make it 16-15, and followed with three free throws after being fouled on closeout on the wing.
Brownsville Veterans kept attacking the Bucs’ pressure and got to the free throw line 14 times during the first half.
While the Chargers sank just eight shots, it was not any less tiring for Miller.
“It was very frustrating for all of us. We were exhausted mentally and physically,” Bastian said. “But so was Brownsville. Those guys are relentless, and they persevered throughout the game. Our senior leadership is what carried us over the top tonight.”
The Chargers went into the half leading 27-24 and went into the fourth leading 38-34 after an Anaya straightaway 3 with seconds left in the third.
That was the last Chargers bucket until the 3:40 mark of the fourth quarter.