By MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER
The Lopez Lobos gave the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers all they could handle on both ends of the floor for the better part of the first half.
But once the Chargers gained their footing, it didn’t take long for them to deliver the knockout.
Brownsville Veterans center Damian Maldonado scored 10 of his team-high 19 points to lead a big second quarter run, allowing the Chargers pull away for a 69-54 District 32-5A win over the Lobos on Tuesday night at Lopez.
The Chargers (4-0 in district) opened the game sluggish on both sides of the court and trailed Lopez (1-3 in district) 17-16 before mounting a 21-2 run off turnovers and fastbreak buckets.
“I think we picked up our defensive intensity,” Chargers coach Larry Gibson said. “And (Lopez) came out with really strong defense. I give them a lot of credit for how they came out. Once we picked up our defense, I think we turned the game around.”
Maldonado, was a force underneath against the smaller Lopez defenders as he scored 12 points during the second quarter.
Lobos first-year coach Erick Quintero said none of those points were more important than a putback layup after a missed free throw that sent Maldonado to a three-point play opportunity to help spark the run.
“We take a lot of pride in playing defense,” the Lopez coach said. “We had a missed assignment on a boxout and (Maldonado) is a heck of a player. If we had a kid like that, it would be a much closer game and we’d be able to match up better on a boxout on a free throw. It was a missed assignment and they went on a big run.”
Aside from Maldonado, the Chargers had three players score in double digits as Justin Anaya recorded 16 points and Matt Maddox pitched in 10.
Despite the big outputs, Gibson hopes his team doesn’t wait to flip the switch in the future.
“We got to come out with more intensity,” he said. “We sort of came out like we had this game won and you can’t come out with that attitude, because every night, especially when you’re in first place, you have a target on your back; someone wants to beat you. We have to have that intestinal fortitude and be ready to play.”
For Lopez, JJ Brieso scored a team-high 19, including four 3-point shots, while Hiram Matoviche added 15, including eight during the fourth quarter.
The Chargers led 37-19 at the break after holding the Lobos to just nine second-quarter points and extended their lead to 24 twice in the second half, both times coming after Dax Delgado treys in the corner.
Matoviche and Brieso had big fourth quarters, scoring eight points apiece to cut the lead to 13 at one point, but Lopez got no closer.
The Lobos’ duo combined to go 11 of 12 from the charity stripe in the fourth and accounted for 16 of the team’s 22 points during the final eight minutes.
“We made a run in the fourth quarter, and our guys never gave up,” Quintero said. “I think if we make free throws and take care of our defensive assignments consistently like we’re supposed to, then we could shock people and we may upset them. I say that with the utmost confidence because anyone can beat anybody on any given night.”