By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
ROMA — It was an all-too-familiar ending for Los Fresnos in its area round game against Alexander (Laredo).
The Falcons held a lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs tied it in the final seconds to force overtime and used that momentum to propel to a 80-77 victory in a Class 6A area round boys basketball game Friday.
Los Fresnos took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter, but Alexander outscored the Falcons 27-19 and needed a bucket from Kike Perez with 7.1 seconds left in regulation to force the extra time. Los Fresnos had a chance to win it as Gabriel Martinez tried a long 3, but it bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.
“The momentum changed when two of my starters fouled out,” Los Fresnos coach Marco Hinojosa said. “I’m not try to make excuses, but when I don’t have two starters and they have all their starters on the floor, it makes a huge difference. The kids fought hard, gave it all they had … they competed and that’s all I can ask for.”
The Bulldogs seized the moment and took advantage at the foul line as both teams were in the double bonus. Alexander hit 8 of 10 from the charity stripe in overtime as Marco Peña scored seven points, including 5 of 6 from the line to help seal the victory. The Falcons kept it close, getting six points from Martinez, including a 3-pointer in overtime, but couldn’t complete the comeback after trailing by six points at one point in the extra quarter.
“We went into a trapping defense and I was a little scared because of the way (Los Fresnos) shoots 3s,” Alexander coach Luis Valdez said of the way his team turned the tide in the fourth and in overtime. “That created some turnovers … that got us going in transition and we made our free throws at the end. (Los Fresnos) is a helluva team.
“Our whole team has been shooting free throws well the whole season.”
Los Fresnos, who won its fourth straight District 32-6A title and advanced to the area round each season, but saw its season end where it has the last three years and finished 31-7. Alexander (31-6) will now move on to the regional quarterfinals.
The Falcons led throughout the first half and kept that edge at two at the break. They pushed the advantage to eight by the end of the third quarter as Andrew Carrizales scored 15 of the team’s 16 points in the third, including three 3-pointers and seemed to give Los Fresnos the boost it needed throughout the tight game.
The Bulldogs slowly chipped away at the deficit in the fourth as Peña and Creston Jackson each got key buckets down the stretch. Unfortunately the Falcons had a couple starters foul out which turned out to be key in the last couple of minutes. Los Fresnos nearly overcame those absences as it took a 65-64 lead on a 3 by Martinez and Elian Gonzalez hit a free throw to extend the lead to two, but Perez answered for Alexander with a bucket to tie it up and shift the momentum ahead of overtime.
Valdez said his team has been in similar situations throughout the season, so even when they’re trailing there was no panic.
“The kids believing in the program and in the system,” he said. “Throughout our district race we had several games like that in overtime and had to come back, so the kids are used to that. When we were down 11, we told the kids to keep believing and they did.”
Peña finished with 26 points and three rebounds, Perez had 17 points and four rebounds and Ramiro Ortiz added 13 points and eight boards for the Bulldogs.
Carrizales finished with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, Jordan Urbina had 16 points and eight rebounds before fouling out and Martinez added 16 points, three rebounds and three steals for the Falcons.
“It’s a special group,” Hinojosa said of his senior class that includes Carrizales, Urbina and Martinez. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs just like any family, but at the end of the day we’re there for each other. I’m going to miss this group. They are very special to me in my heart; they know that I’m always a phone call away. I’ll be there for them.”
It was a devastating loss for Los Fresnos who had looked to get over that proverbial hump. But don’t count the Falcons out next year.
“The kids know they win with class and lose with class and you move on,” Hinojosa said. “But I’m here for them. I love them and anytime they need anything, I’ll be there for them. We’ve got big shoes to fill, obviously. The young kids can play, but we’re going to be a young ball club.
“People probably don’t think we’re going to do much, but we’re going to make some noise next year.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.