By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE — Championship Saturday at the Brownsville ISD boys and girls basketball tournaments featured competitive games and talented teams.
The top matchup of the day was a rematch between the Brownsville Pace Vikings and the Brownsville St. Joseph Bloodhounds in the boys platinum bracket championship.
After losing to the Vikings in pool play Friday, the Bloodhounds cleaned up their game and took their revenge, defeating Pace 65-58 in a thrilling battle at Brownsville Hanna. SJA coach Sam Lucio, a Hanna alumnus who was named outstanding coach of the tournament, was emotional after the win.
“Our boys deserved it. It’s special for me because I went to school here, and to win here, it just feels good,” Lucio said. “After losing to Pace (on Friday), we just wanted another chance to play them because they’re one of the best teams. When we can compete with them, we know we’re going to have a great season.”
Tournament MVP Gerry Martinez led the Bloodhounds offensively, dishing out assists and scoring 33 points with three clutch 3-pointers during the second half to help his team pull away. Luigi Cristiano was a force in the paint, battling with Pace’s bigs and consistently pulling down rebounds. Cristiano (13 points) and Josh Cisneros (13 points) were all-tournament selections.
Pace knocked down three 3-pointers during the first quarter and played solid defense to hold a slim 20-17 lead. Elias Fortaneli (11 points), Benny Villarreal (15 points) and Alexander Agado anchored the electric start. Both defenses tightened up in the second quarter, leaving the contest tied at halftime.
The gym was buzzing as the two dynamic teams exchanged big moments and kept the score close. Cristiano and Villarreal (15 points) dueled down low, both turning in important minutes for their teams. SJA held a 45-43 lead heading into the final quarter thanks to a buzzer-beating bucket from Cristiano.
The fourth quarter was fast-paced and intense. Pace battled to the end, but the smooth-shooting Bloodhounds held on for the win. SJA went 7-for-11 at the free-throw line, and the big three of Martinez, Cristiano and Cisneros came up with defensive stops, rebounds and key points to secure the win.
“I loved the way our boys competed in this great atmosphere,” Lucio said. “I wanted to see how our boys can play under that pressure … because when we have to travel in district and playoffs it’s going to be like this.”
Edinburg Vela defeated Los Fresnos 51-31 in the girls platinum bracket championship behind its top-notch tandem of Emma Lucio (18 points) and Janai Coleman (20 points).
Not only did the duo spearhead Vela’s offensive production — it also played lockdown defense. Vela plugged up the field and kept Los Fresnos from feeding the ball inside, resulting in a number of deep takes that didn’t fall. The Lady Falcons only reached double-digit scoring in one quarter.
Sarahi Jones (17 points), Aylene Ortega and Olivia Parra kept Los Fresnos competitive. First-year coach Alex Lucio was happy with the way his team battled throughout the tournament to reach the title game and said the Lady Falcons are coming together.
“I’m proud of them. There’s growing pains, but they’re getting better,” Alex Lucio said. “They’re still learning me, learning about each other and our system. We’re taking steps in the right direction.”
The Brownsville Lopez Lobos took home the trophy in the boys gold bracket after handily defeating North Mission IDEA 62-36.
“I’m happy for them because they work extremely hard and they’re being rewarded for that,” Lopez coach Erick Quintero said. “We have the players to compete this year. We think we’re a playoff team, no doubt about it. The time for us is now.”
Lopez was firing on all cylinders and dominated the contest from the jump. The Lobos, led by Elias Rodarte, played aggressive defense, creating a bevy of turnovers and keeping North Mission IDEA off the board for long stretches. Jacob Cortinas and Angel Ramirez were solid in the paint, recording rebounds and battling with North Mission’s size.
Junior point guard Marco Coello anchored the offense with assists and scored 26 points. He was virtually unstoppable, whether driving to the basket or knocking down a jumper from the field. Coello performed admirably all weekend to lead the Lobos through their competitive tournament slate.
“Everyone played great, a lot of people stepped up and played bigger than what their role is,” Coello said. “We all came together and pulled through for the win.
“Still a lot of work to be done. This team hasn’t tapped the potential we have.”
Rio Hondo won the girls gold bracket championship with a 54-32 victory over Brownsville Rivera. The Lyford Lady Bulldogs claimed the silver bracket championship by defeating Brownsville Porter 54-13.
Boys all-tournament team honors were awarded to Daniel Oliva of Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Julian Avila of McAllen Rowe, Hanna’s Ricardo Roman, Rivera’s Ramsey Rocha, Jeffery Smith of Port Isabel and Ray De Leon of Edinburg Economedes. Fortaneli and Cristian Guajardo of Pace were selected, too.
Girls all-tournament selections were Vela’s GG Betancourt and Coleman, Los Fresnos’ Jones and Ortega, Hanna’s Yazmin Rucoba, Destiny Menchaca of Rowe, Heaven Estrada of PSJA High, San Perlita’s Aliyah Garcia, McAllen High’s Andrea Fuentes and Ashley Gonzalez of Edinburg Harvest. Vela’s Lucio was named MVP.