BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville St. Joseph needed only five minutes to put away Laredo St. Augustine on Tuesday in a TAPPS 5A District 4 meeting.
St. Joseph (11-9, 4-2) went up 24-5 after only five minutes and cruised to a 70-20 victory, keeping the Bloodhounds in the hunt for the postseason in a challenging district.
“We needed it,” St. Joseph head coach Robert Moreno said. “That ended our first round of district. So, to end on a good note is a good thing.”
The Bloodhounds pressed early, creating easy buckets as they pounced quickly on the Knights.
Senior Andre Jasso led the Bloodhounds in scoring with 10 points, Mia Villarreal finished with nine points, freshman Sarah Pirtle dropped eight and junior guard Regina Tovar scored seven.
“We started really good,” Tovar said. “Which we should, if we start like this every game, we are going to have a good rest of the season.”
The Bloodhounds ended the first quarter up 36-5 and went into the locker room up 54-8.
St. Joseph entered Tuesday in fifth place in its district at 3-3. San Antonio St. Anthony, which beat St. Joseph 28-23 earlier in the month, is edging the Bloodhounds for the final playoff spot at 3-2.
The Bloodhounds could move up in the standings. Providence Catholic and San Antonio Christian, both 4-2, met Tuesday as well. St. Joseph beat San Antonio Christian but lost to Providence Catholic during the first round of district.
Providence Catholic defeated St. Joseph 29-28 in Brownsville, as well as San Antonio St. Mary’s Hall, the first team in the district. The Bloodhounds lost that game 42-37. Now, they have to try and win those games on the road.
“The way things are going, we can still get those two back,” Moreno said.
St. Joseph returns to action at 6 p.m. Friday on the road against Victoria St. Joseph. The Bloodhounds defeated the Flyers 52-36 in the first meeting.
“We are really trying to go undefeated in the second round,” Tovar said. “We need it, and I feel like we are ready to give our all.”