MERCEDES — It was Mercedes senior guard Joaquin Gonzales’ turn to shine Friday night on a court with scorers capable of lighting up the scoreboard.
Gonzales finished with a game-high 23 points in a 54-49 District 32-5A win over Brownsville Lopez at Mercedes High School and celebrated 1,000 points after the game with teammates.
“It was a great accomplishment,” Gonzales said. “But the job is not done yet. The job is to get the gold ball at the end of the season.”
| Mercedes’ Joaquin Gonzales (1) (center) poses for a photo with his team during a ceremony for his achievement of 1000 career points Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, following the game between Lopez vs. Mercedes at Mercedes. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
Mercedes had its biggest lead of the game early in the fourth quarter, going up 44-27 after Gonzales finished at the rim. Gonzales found success when attacking the basket.
“I was able to help my team out,” Gonzales said. “I would not have been able to do what I did without them. Me and my team are going to continue to work hard all season, and we are going to come back with that gold ball.”
| Mercedes’ Joaquin Gonzales (1) leaps past Lopez’s Ezequiel Ibarra (21) to score Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, during the game between Lopez vs. Mercedes at Mercedes. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
Brownsville Lopez unleashed a fierce comeback after Gonzales’ layup, scoring 11 straight points to cut the lead to six. Lobos guard Marco Coello helped fuel the turnaround by scoring 11 of his 21 points in the quarter.
The Lobos shrank the lead to three, but could not stop Mercedes senior guard David Clower down the stretch. Clower dropped 15 points for the Tigers.
| Lopez’s Marco Coello (2) and Julian Hernandez (5) block in Mercedes’ David Clower (5) Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, during the game between Lopez vs. Mercedes at Mercedes. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
“It was a big win for our boys,” Mercedes head coach Josh Guerrero said. “We took a tough loss on Tuesday, and I told our boys, ‘Let’s get over that adversity at home and bounce back.’ This is a big win for the team. We know what we have, and we came out and showed that tonight.”
The Lobos took a halftime lead thanks to a 3-pointer by Marco Coello. The Lobos’ senior guard played the role as distributor in the half when penetrating Mercedes’ halfcourt defense. Coello dropped four assists for easy buckets as the Lobos held a 21-20 advantage.
| Mercedes’ Kemper Ledesma (0) and Noah Villanueva (21) block Lopez’s Marco Coello’s (2) attempt to score Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, during the game between Lopez vs. Mercedes at Mercedes. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
Both teams now hold a 1-1 record in district.
Mercedes looks to carry the momentum into next week when the Tigers face Donna High at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Donna High School. Brownsville Lopez takes on Brownsville Pace at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lopez High School.
| Mercedes’ Kemper Ledesma (0) leaps up to try and block Lopez’s Jacob Cortinas (34) shot Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, during the game between Lopez vs. Mercedes at Mercedes. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |