By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

The Porter Cowboys’ Jesus Garcia led his team down the stretch, scoring nine of his team’s 19 fourth-quarter points.

Thanks to his late performance — during which he hit 2 of 4 shots from the field and 5 of 5 shots from the free-throw line — Porter defeated the Rivera Raiders 59-52 in a non-district game Friday at Porter.

The Cowboys played strong defense, shot well and were a perfect nine-for-nine from the charity stripe during the final quarter, allowing them to seal the victory.

“Our defense is playing really good,” Porter coach Luis Garza said. “We play really good basketball, it’s just a matter of us being able to move the ball, and I thought we moved the ball a lot better today.”

Rivera’s 10 points during the fourth quarter were its lowest mark of the night. The Raiders didn’t score until there was just more than five minutes remaining in the game on an Alex Rangel 3-pointer. By the time they scored again, Porter had completed a 12-3 run.

“We weren’t hitting the shots the last quarter,” Rivera coach Saul Villarreal said. “We took some good shots, we just weren’t hitting them.”

The Raiders had been tied or ahead for most of the game prior to the fourth.

The Cowboys were ahead 10-7 with 2:30 left in the first quarter, but the teams ended up even at 15 points apiece by the end of the first. That was made possible by Rangel, after he hit three consecutive shots during the final 1:30.

The Raiders opened the second quarter on a 10-4 run, but Porter answered with six straight points.

Rivera scored five points near the end of the first half, but Garcia made a layup as time expired to pull his team to within two points heading into halftime.

Porter started the third quarter on a 5-2 run but didn’t maintain momentum, and the teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the period. Rivera entered the fourth quarter ahead by two points.

“I’m happy with what I saw, because I think offensively we’re making significant improvements,” Garza said. “We just keep getting better and better.”

Garcia led all scorers with 22 points, and teammate Eli Martinez chipped in 11. Rangel tallied the most points for the Raiders with 16.

Each team will continue its non-district schedule Dec. 16. The Cowboys travel to San Benito to face the Greyhounds at 6 p.m., and Rivera will play host to Edinburg North at 7:30 p.m.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

The girls basketball season has been under way for close to a month, but today marks the start of District 32-6A play.

Now that the non-district part of the season has concluded, teams will take what they’ve learned and apply it to making a push toward the postseason.

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers sit at 10-5 on the season and enter district play with the goal of besting last year’s second-round playoff loss to Laredo Alexander.

Lady Chargers coach Valentin Paz thinks his team’s tougher non-district schedule will prepare him for a successful district season.

The Hanna Lady Golden Eagles are represented by Luis Gonzalez. His team is 11-3, and he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen on the court this season.

“We’re looking good so far,” he said. “We’re where we need to be. We’re excited for district to begin, and we’re shooting for a strong beginning of the season.”

The Lady Eagles will try to play an up-tempo, full-court style of basketball and hope to rebound from last year’s fifth-place finish.

The Lopez Lady Lobos’ Stephen Davis thinks his team — which features five returning players and impressive point guard Imeilda Garcia — has a shot to make the postseason as well.

“I’ve seen a lot of improvement,” Davis said. “We’re still trying to learn a new system. The past few games we’ve been competitive.”

The new-look Rivera Lady Raiders are 6-7 and still adjusting to coach Willie Brown’s system. Brown has been impressed with the improvement and maintains that his goal is to make the playoffs.

Things may be tough for the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons, as they will be playing short-handed this year. Senior Sherry Leal, who was slated to be a starting post player, tore her anterior cruciate ligament during the Thanksgiving Classic tournament.

Injuries, when paired with inexperience, could lead to a difficult season, but coach Kim Edquist is working at building a cohesive team to turn around a 5-9 non-district record.

“Inexperience is the hardest thing,” she said. “It’s tough to learn each other’s playing styles.

“We haven’t put four quarters together yet. The progress is slower than normal, but every time we see them play, they get better.”

Elsewhere in District 32-6A, is last year’s district champion Harlingen High Lady Cardinals, who will look to repeat with Ashley Moncivaiz at the helm. She is filling in for Nora Zamarripa, who is on medical leave.

The Lady Cardinals are 11-3 on the season, and Moncivaiz is confident her team can match last year’s success.

“I feel with the team chemistry and the girls buying in to the system, we can repeat as district champs,” she said. “It’s not going to be easy. We have to make sure we prepare well for every game.”

The San Benito Lady Greyhounds are led by former Rivera coach Abel Moreno and are 7-8 so far this year. They’ll look to make the postseason for the third straight season and will need to do so with freshman point guard Miranda Vallejo logging heavy minutes due to injuries.

“We’ve been getting used to the transition, but we’re coming around,” Morenosaid, “It helps that we have great leadership.”

The first district matchups of the season will feature San Benito on the road against Hanna, Rivera playing host to Harlingen High, Brownsville Veterans Memorial traveling to Harlingen South and Los Fresnos opening with a home contest against Lopez

All games will be held at 7:30 tonight, except the Brownsville Veterans-Harlingen Southgame. It is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By Adam Kujawski, Staff Writer

The Porter Cowboys had two late possessions with a chance to tie or take the lead against the Weslaco High Panthers, but neither one proved fruitful.

The Panthers held on to defeat the Cowboys 37-34 during a non-district game Tuesday night at Porter.

With 24 seconds remaining, down by one point and coming out of a timeout, the Cowboys’ Eli Martinez drove the lane in an attempt to draw contact but failed to score, resulting in a turnover and an eventual pair of free throws by Weslaco High’s Jordan Young.

Porter attempted to shoot a 3 with seconds remaining, but a jump ball was called with the possession arrow favoring the Panthers.

“Weslaco did a good job, they deserve to win,” Porter coach Luis Garza said, “but I’m a little upset about (the officiating). I think we need to have a little more integrity in our association.

“I think that if you’re going to make calls, you’ve got to make them both ways,” Garza added. “And I honestly think that a little bit of integrity could have made a difference today.”

The Cowboys were in a position late to change the game in their favor, but not before falling behind early after allowing Weslaco High to score the first seven points. Porter didn’t score until midway through the first quarter on its way to a 14-5 deficit.

“We had a whole week off, so I think we were a little bit lethargic coming out of the gate,” Garza said. “I thought we did real good against a 6A program. I think once we got our feet under us and got more comfortable, we were able to play.”

Joel Garcia led a strong second quarter for the Cowboys, though, as they narrowed the Panthers’ lead to three points before halftime.

A steady third quarter defensively for Porter led to a tie at 28 at the start of the fourth. But the Panthers hit back-to-back 3s to start the final period, and Porter played catchup the remainder of the game.

“We’ve just got to keep our composure,” Weslaco High coach Gabe Valdez said. “I think anybody in the country, if they can maintain the basketball and get solid possessions, it’s going to work out for them in the end, and we’ve been able to do that.

“We’ve got to shoot the ball better, but a ‘W’ is a ‘W’ no matter how you get it.”

The Cowboys’ final point of the night came after Martinezhit the front end of a 1-and-1 with 2:30 to go in the game. By the time Porter regained possession, the Panthers had drained a good portion of the clock, leading to the eventual empty possessions late for the Cowboys.

Garcia led all scorers with 12 points and was the only player to tally double digits in the category. Weslaco High’s Eric Gonzalez was the next closest with eight points.

Porter’s next game will be a home contest against the Rivera Raiders at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and Weslaco High next plays Zapata at noon Thursday at Mercedes Junior High as part of the C.E. Vail Classic.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

One year’s worth of hard work paid off for the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons, and now it’s time the key components are rewarded for their effort.

Following a co-district championship, the Lady Falcons marched through the playoffs, wound up in San Antonioto compete in the Sweet 16 and completed one of the most successful seasons in school history.

For her accomplishments, 30-year coach Becky Woods has been named The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Coach of the Year. And though winning the award is an honor, she insisted on deferring the credit to her team.

“I give all the credit to the kids,” Woods said. “I’ve had great kids come through for 30 years, and there hasn’t been one bad year.

“This group jelled together. There was a chemistryabout these guys that you couldn’t pull them apart.

“They like the sport, they like the competition, and they love working with each other. That’s what makes them so good.”

Woods has been watching this group of girls work its way through the pipeline for a while. And after several years together, she knew this team had a chance to do something special before it even stepped on the court.

“(I knew) about a year ago,” she said. “I knew what we had coming back. We had the height, we had the attitude, and we had great character.”

Though Woods had the utmost confidence in her team, there was one element of uncertainty. Her libero, senior Alex Moya, had torn her anterior cruciate ligament during the previous soccer season and required months of rehabilitation.

“After I tore my ACL, it was so hard to do so many things,” Moya said. “I realize I took a lot for granted,and coming back from that was a lot of work. After school, during school, in the morning, every day I had to work at it so I was able to play on this floor and be a starter.

“I worked so hard in the offseason last year because I wanted to prove people wrong. I wanted to help my team out, and I wanted them not to worry if I was going to be good this year.”

Moya did more than recover, she anchored her team’s back row all season and wound up earning the All-Metro defensive player of the year award.

Early-season setbacks forced her to sit out during a few of her team’s non-district games, but she worked her way back and averaged a team-high 3.6 digs per set for the year, more than double her next closest teammate.

“Alex played hard. She did everything imaginable to rehabilitate that knee,” Woods said. “She was in the gym in the morning,she was in the gym during the athletic period, after school doing tons and tons of exercises. She really wanted to play libero this year and do the best job she could do.”

This is Moya’s first award of her volleyball career, and she joins teammates Joseline Caraveo, Sam Ibarra and Peyton Sales, who earned All-Metro first-team honors this year.

“I give a lot of credit to my team, because I wouldn’t have gotten (this award) if it wasn’t for them,” she said.

“It’s great seeing our team go through (this season). It’s not a surprise. I think we worked hard enough to deserve everything we got. We’ve accomplished so much as a team for our small community.”

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By Adam Kujawski, Staff Writer

Facing a 16-point halftime deficit, the La Joya Palmview Lobos used strong second-half shooting to fight back against the Hanna Golden Eagles.

The Lobos scored 30 fourth-quarter points to force overtime and eventually earn an 86-78 win over the Eagles on Tuesday night at Hanna.

“I’m extremely proud of my boys in the regard that they were extremely resilient in the second half,” La Joya Palmview coach Andy Saenz said. “They didn’t give up, but they’re a senior ball club. I expect that.”

La Joya Palmview’s comeback included a critical 14-0 run early in the fourth quarter that tied the game at 58.

The teams traded scores down the stretch, with neither team holding more than a two-point advantage. With eight seconds remaining in the game, Hanna’s Alex Herrera made a layup to send the game into overtime.

The Lobos’ Pete Huerta wasted no time shooting his team into a commanding lead during the extra quarter. He scored nine points to close out the game, including hitting all four of his late free-throw attempts. The Lobos made 4 of 5 shot attempts and were 6 of 6 from the line during the four-minute overtime period.

“As good a first half as we played, they played the same type of second half,” Hanna coach Todd Barckoltz said. “The first half we came out strong and played good, smart basketball. We’ve got to watch the video and fix the mistakes that cost us the big lead.”

The Eagles were in control for the majority of the game and were dominant during the first half, maintaining a 37-21 lead heading into halftime.

The Lobos failed to gain an advantage underneath the basket and gave up several turnovers that the Eagles converted in transition.

The Lobos struggled to find decent scoring chances, but they changed their approach and shots began falling.

“My game plan kind of backfired on me, trying to get the ball inside in the first half,” Saenz said. “I had my guards dictate the game and the tempo the second half.”

La Joya Palmview’s Armado Alaniz scored 13 of his team’s 20 points during the third quarter, fueling the comeback.

Though Hanna continued to excel offensively, the Lobos inched their way back and turned the tide as the game wound down.

“Hopefully it’s a good sign of things to come,” Saenz said, “but we’re nowhere near where we need to be when district time rolls around.”

Huerta and teammate Orlando Munoz led all scorers with 27 and 19 points, respectively. Herrera had 16 points for the Eagles, Andrew Briseño added 14 and Andy Lopez had 11.

Each team next competes in the Edinburg tournament beginning Thursday.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

The paint was the place to be for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers during the second quarter.

The Chargers used the 23 points tallied during the period to capture a 60-51 victory over the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets on Friday night in Brownsville.

The Chargers converted five of their first 10 shots during the second quarter to take a 21-16 lead with just more than four minutes remaining.

Edcouch-Elsa had a difficult time maintaining possession nearing the end of the quarter and Aaron Villarreal took advantage, scoring seven points on 3 of 4 shooting, including a three-point play.

Brownsville Veterans Memorial thrived beneath the basket, scoring nearly all of its points either near the rim or from the free throw line, but halftime adjustments by Edcouch-Elsa coach Rick Trevino had an impact.

“They made adjustments at halftime, and it really took away some of the things we did the first half inside,” Brownsville Veterans coach Larry Gibson said, “and we weren’t hitting shots from the outside. That’s what hurt us.”

The change in game plan kept the Chargers from accessing the lane at the frequency they did during the first half, and the Yellowjackets shot their way into contention.

“We were not crowding the paint very well in transition,” Trevino said. “We did a better job of that (after halftime).

“I thought we were losing a lot of the 50-50 balls, and I thought we did a better job of getting those balls in the third quarter. That’s why we were able to come back. The kids fought hard, we just didn’t have enough there at the end.”

The ’Jackets inched to within five points of the lead near the end of the third quarter, but the Chargers pulled ahead to maintain an 11-point edge, fending off the first of two Edcouch-Elsa rallies.

Throughout the fourth quarter, Edcouch-Elsa continued its attempt to mount a comeback but never got closer than five points. The Chargers’ Jeremiah Meyers scored four points down the stretch to seal the game.

“We played kind of sloppy,” Wilsonsaid. “We’ve been shooting the ball a lot better, but we didn’t shoot the ball very well tonight. But we played hard, that’s what I was proud of.

“We’ve been out of school for the whole week, and I think the kids were a little lethargic. But I think the effort was there because we played good defense.

The Yellowjackets’ team is young. Five sophomores and one freshman contributed against the Chargers, and Trevino knows the non-district schedule is the place to teach.

“We know we’re playing tough teams,” he said. “We think (Brownsville Veterans) is a playoff team, so we scheduled ourselves very hard. We’re hoping to stay positive. These guys just get better every game, so I think we’re on our way.”

Meyers led all scorers with 15 points on 6 of 14 shooting from the floor and 4 of 10 shooting from the free-throw line. Villarreal was the second-highest scorer for the Chargers with seven. Mark Morones and Aurelio Gonzalez tied for the Yellowjackets’ lead with 11 points apiece, and Trey Chavana chipped in nine.

Brownsville Veterans next plays host to Edinburg Vela, and Edcouch-Elsa faces McAllen High at home. Both games will take place at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

It seems like it’s been an eternity since the Rivera Raiders lost a football game.

In fact, one would have to turn the calendar back to Oct. 4 — a 42-24, Week 6 loss to Brownsville Veterans Memorial — to find their last defeat.

While it may be natural to look toward the field for the answer to the Raiders’ turnaround, the sideline can’t be ignored.

The coach oversees the entire operation, has a large influence on player development and makes the final call on the game plan, but on his wing are the coordinators, the specialists who put the plan into action.

“(The coordinators) are extremely important,” coach Tom Chavez said. “We set up the game plan, and they work real hard putting it together.

“It’s a team effort between the coordinators and myself. We all work together and figure out the game plan, and they implement it to a ‘T’.”

On one side of Chavez, there is offensive coordinator Brian Milam, who has made the proper adjustments to his squad, helping fuel the team’s active seven-game winning streak.

“We changed (the offense) up a little,” Milam said, “but we’ve had this scheme in for the last three years. We felt that our offense needed a change because we weren’t scoring the points that I knew we could score.

“We knew we had to do something to put the ball in our playmakers’ hands. We wanted to get (quarterback Danny Elizondo) running the ball a bit more, and that’s what we did.”

The season started slowly for Rivera, during a five-game losing streak to begin the year, the offense averaged just 18 points per game. Since then, it’s nearly doubled in production, amassing an average of more than 34 points per game during its past seven contests.

But a new scheme doesn’t work if the players aren’t there to execute it. While the offense has been strong from top to bottom, Elizondo and his favorite target, Edward Rubio, have eased the transition to the new offensive model.

“(Elizondo and Rubio) have been playing together since they were sophomores,” Milam said.

“They’ve been out there throwing the ball around all season. They just have a chemistry.

“They know the offense and they know every route that we run. Danny knows that when the chips are down, he’s going to throw the ball to the play-maker.”

Defensive coordinator J.C. Cavazos presides over the other side of the ball.

Like the offense, his defense started shaky as well, allowing an average of just more than 30 points per game during the first five games. Since then, it has shaved nearly 10 points per game off that number.

However, the tough competition during the non-district schedule — all three teams the Raiders lost to were eventual playoff teams — hardened Cavazos’ defense.

“Chavez likes to schedule teams that he feels are going to be in the playoffs later on in the year,” he said. “I think playing a tough non-district schedule gets us ready for a district run.

“We played pretty solidly ever since the Sharyland game. We had a real good game defensively against Sharyland, and then after that things just started to pick up for us.”

Cavazos is assisted by defensive line coach Edward “The Wall” Garcia and secondary coach Ruben Cardenas. Both have helped to transform the defense into what it is today.

“It’s been a team effort,” Cavazos said. “I think our secondary has improved by leaps and bounds over last year. Last year a lot of times we’d get hurt by the big play. This year we’ve kind of eliminated the big plays.

“These youngsters have hung in there all year long,they’re kind of like a bend-but-don’t-break type of defense.”

The Raiders — advancing to the regional round for the second time in school history — face a tough opponent in San Antonio Northside Brandeis. Both sides of the ball will need to work harmoniously Friday if Rivera hopes to make history.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

The Pace Vikings were just waiting to find their groove against Edinburg Economedes on Tuesday night.

That moment came during a 26-point third quarter, propelling the Vikings to a 70-53 home win over the Jaguars.

“Our offense was on,” Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez said. “Once you’re on like that, (the team doesn’t) want it to end so they just kept firing away.”

The Vikings had a comfortable 26-18 lead at halftime but doubled their point output during the third quarter to take a 52-35 lead.

Pace came out shooting during the second half, making four of its first six baskets to set the tone.

The Jaguars nearly matched their entire first-half point total with 17 points during the third but failed to keep up with the hot Vikings offense.

A.J. Medrano led the quarter with 11 points, and Andres Salgado added nine. Pace sank 11 of 19 baskets during that stretch, pulling far enough ahead to outlast an Economedes comeback attempt.

“Defensively, it was a little bit of a struggle,” Economedes coach Jaime Olivarez said, “but actually our offense picked up at the end. At least we were more active than we were for the first three quarters.

“Take nothing away from Pace, they shot the ball well today, they hit their 3s and took a big lead, but we just ran out of gas there toward the end and made some silly mistakes.”

The Jaguars pulled to within nine points with two minutes remaining, but Pace took advantage of Economedes’ aggressive play with a handful of steals that were converted to baskets down the stretch.

“We were able to finish strong, and that’s the biggest thing for me,” Ramirez said. “It’s tough to play with the lead, and even though (Economedes) had a run, we were able to settle down and go to work.”

It took a quarter for the Vikings to warm up before pulling away. They were ahead by a one-point margin after the first quarter but outscored the Jaguars 14-7 the remainder of the half.

Economedes failed to capitalize on a five-minute cold streak by Pace between the first and second quarters. During that stretch, the Vikings shot 0 for 11.

The Vikings eventually turned around their drought and carried their momentum into the second half.

“I’m proud of the guys, the way they fought,” Olivarez said. “They could’ve shut it down when they were down by 24, but they fought back and cut it down to nine.

“It’s early in the season and we’ve got to learn how to fight, and they showed me that they can do that tonight.”

The Jaguars had the game’s two leading scorers. Julian Abrego had 21 points, and teammate Roy Miranda added 15. Pace spread the ball around more. Medrano had 14 points for the Vikings, and Alex Acosta, Steven Garza and Salgado each had 13.

Pace next will play host to Harlingen High, and Economedes will play host to Harlingen South. Both games are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

A good kicker does more than boot field goals,he anchors the entire special teams unit.

Fortunately for the Rivera Raiders, they have a three-year starter in Chelin Martinez who does just that.

“He’s awesome, you can’t replace a guy like that,” coach Tom Chavez said. “We tell him where to place it, and he’ll place it. He’ll put the ball where it needs to be.

“He’s been a great asset to our program. Everything we need to do in our kicking game, it’s taken care of.”

Martinezis a star soccer athlete as well, and he uses his poise and athleticism to succeed on the football field.

Andres Macias, Martinez’s kicking coach, works with him during practice, helping him with his accuracy and power. A typical day at practice consists of Martineztaking 40 or 50 kicks of varying distances and styles.

“He’s improved over the years and continues to gain confidence,” Macias said. “He’s become a spectacular player.”

Mentality is another element in the kicking game, and whether it’s a well-placed punt or a long field goal, a kickoff or a chip shot, Martinezhas taught himself to lock into the proper mental state in order to maximize results.

Though it may take a kick or two to get loose, once the game gets going, the dual-sport athlete is ready for whatever the game presents him.

“You have to be focused,” he said. “You can’t put pressure on yourself, you have to be confident.”

Martinezdemonstrated his focus during last week’s game against McAllen High, though in a different fashion. With his team in need of points early, Martineztook his game a step further and got it done with his legs in a different way.

“We planned (the fake) when I got there to the line,” he said. “(Quarterback and holder Danny Elizondo) said, ‘We’regoing to run a fake, so throw it or run it if you want.’”

Martinezelected to do the former and sprinted toward the end zone for two points.

There’s no doubt Martinez is a valuable piece of the Rivera machine, but to him, he’s just doing his job.

“It’s a team effort from all of us,” Martinez said, “offense, defense and special teams. I help out as much as I can. All the seniors and underclassmen have helped out, too. It’s just a team effort.”

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.

By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer

The Hanna Golden Eagles capped off an unbeaten tournament run Saturday with a 51-39 win over the Los Fresnos Falcons to secure the BISD Classic championship.

“It feels real good (to win the tournament),” Hanna coach Todd Barkholtz said. “It means the guys have been working hard the past eight months in class, in the offseason, lifting weights and all that good stuff to get better as a team.”

The Eagles jumped out to an early lead and pulled ahead 17-8 near the end of the first quarter. However, Los Fresnos stuck around, scoring seven consecutive points to close the quarter and holding Hanna scoreless until the 6:15 mark of the second period.

The Eagles answered with a 6-2 run but were halted following an ankle injury to point guard Alex Herrera that temporarily removed him from the game with 3:19 remaining in the half.

The Falcons took a 26-23 lead after the injury behind three straight baskets by Hugo De La Cruz and a jumper by Johnny Gomez.

With seconds remaining, Andy Lopez hit a long-range buzzer-beater to send Hanna into halftime tied at 26.

The teams started the second half in similar fashion, but with the score 33-32 in favor of the Falcons, Hanna closed the quarter on a 6-0 run.

The Falcons then broke down during the fourth quarter. With the return of Herrera and contributions from the Eagles’ bench, Hanna made 5 of 10 shots and three free throws to close out Los Fresnos.

“It’s the fourth game (of the tournament),” Barkholtz said. “It’s the championship game, everybody’s tired, you’ve just go to be mentally focused and disciplined to execute offense, defense and everything.

“We told the guys that haven’t logged heavy minutes to come in and provide a spark. We needed those bench players to come in that second half and really just carry us.”

Hanna defeated Pace and St. Joseph Academy in the group stage and knocked off Hidalgo and Los Fresnos to cap the tournament. The Eagles’ average margin of victory was just more than 12 points per game.

Falcons coach Marco Hinojosa wasn’t upset with taking second place, and instead looked at the valuable experience for his team moving forward.

“At the end of the day, Hanna’s well coached and they have an outstanding team that can just flat out shoot the basketball,” he said. “We broke down defensively, but we’ve got to credit Hanna because they do a good job of moving the basketball and they have an elite point guard in the valley.

“I’m glad we played good teams like (McAllen) Rowe, they gave us an excellent game, and Hanna gave us another great game. These games will get us ready for district. We’re happy with what we’re doing right now, but we’ve got room for improvement.”

De La Cruz and Gomes won all tournament honors for the Falcons, and Lopez and Ed Messbarger received the same honors for the Eagles. Hererra was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

“It feels amazing,” Messbarger said. “I want to thank my teammates. Without them I wouldn’t be able to have gotten (the all-tournament trophy).

When asked what it took to win the MVP award, Herrera also credited strong teamwork.

“I started off bad, but my teammates picked me up,” he said. “After that I just started getting in a rhythm and getting good vibes off my team.”

De La Cruz led all scorers with 21 points, Herrera finished with 11 and Messbarger added 10.

Each team will continue their non-district schedule this week. Los Fresnos will play a road game against McAllen Rowe at 7:30 p.m. Monday, and Hanna will travel to PSJA High at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.