KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
LA FERIA — After suffering a tournament-opening loss to La Joya High on Thursday, Rio Hondo rebounded with a win against Kingsville King and, on Friday, the Bobcats picked up right where they left off.
Jabez Villarreal continued his tear and scored a game-high 21 points, Zachariah Rios netted 19 points and John Ayala scored 11 points as Rio Hondo relied on their shooting and aggressive play to earn a 87-41 win over Monte Alto in the consolation semifinals at the C.E. Vail tournament.
The Bobcats play La Joya Juarez-Lincoln in the consolation final at noon today.
“We picked up where we left off, and I liked the intensity that the kids came out with today,” Rio Hondo coach Mike Alvarez said. “I told the kids we didn’t want to have a repeat of (Thursday), where we came out sluggish. I thought the boys came out strong and we dictated the pace of the game, and when we can do that I think we are a tough team to play with.”
During the past two games, the Bobcats got off to slow starts. But Friday, Rio Hondo jumped out to a quick 17-9 lead during the first period. Ayala, Rios and Villarreal carried the offense in the quarter as the trio combined for 18 points.
Monte Alto, however, closed the gap during the second quarter, cutting the lead to 30-22. Von Cavazos drilled a pair of 3-pointers to keep his team in the game. Cavazos finished with a team-high 11 points, and teammate Raul Mancillas scored 10 points.
“Monte Alto hit some tough shots,” Alvarez said. “Much credit to them. At times we felt like we were up by a lot but we looked at the scoreboard and we were only up by a few points. They shot the ball well in the first half. It was in the second half they got cold and we were able to take advantage of it.”
After Monte Alto cut into the lead, the Bobcats responded with a 14-4 run to end the first half and held a cozy 48-28 lead and did not look back.
“Our team chemistry is continuing to build, we just need to keep working,” Rios said. “Sometimes we go through some rough patches, but we will keep moving forward and working as a team. For me, my confidence is up when it comes to my shooting. Last year I wasn’t too confident, but as a team right now we are feeling much better.”
After Thursday’s drumming of Raymondville, Santa Rosa took a step back Friday. The Warriors lost 57-39 to Corpus Christi West Oso in their quarterfinal.
Cameron Williams netted 12 points and AJ Lopez scored 11 to help West Oso win.
The Warriors got off to a slow start, quickly falling behind 19-9 after the first period, and could not recover. David Bazaldua led the offense with 16 points, and CJ Olivarez scored 10 points. After a 25-point performance Thursday, Mike Bermea finished Friday’s game with five points.
The Warriors meet Edcouch-Elsa at 10:30 a.m. today in the consolation bracket.