By EDWARD SEVERN, Staff Writer
ALICE — The last boys basketball team standing in the East Valley, the Rio Hondo Bobcats, lost 87-43 in a regional quarterfinal against the Somerset Bulldogs on Tuesday night.
“These guys have a lot of things to be proud of,” Rio Hondo coach Michael Alvarez said. “They surpassed a lot of expectations and did things that has not been done in Rio Hondo in over 10 years.”
The Bulldogs, led by captain Shane Perales, dominated proceedings from start to finish.
Somerset opened the first quarter on a 21-6 run. The Bulldogs pressed effectively, converted easy looks and knocked down open 3-pointers to build a strong lead.
“Somerset is a great team,” Alvarez said. “They play extremely well together and apply a lot of pressure. The speed of the game was a little quicker. Hat’s off to them.”
Rio Hondo chipped away at the lead to get within 11 points, but Somerset was just too much and extended its lead to 43-17 going into the half.
“It was a rough season in the beginning,” Rio Hondo guard Ethan Jeradiah said. “The playoffs are a whole different ballgame, but our coaches picked us up and made us work harder.”
Another Bulldogs run to begin the third quarter put further distance between Somerset and Rio Hondo.
Perales was joined by fellow captain Matthew Soto to lead the Bulldogs. The sharpshooter was money from beyond the arc and helped give Somerset a 71-28 lead going into the fourth.
Soto finished with a game-high 29 points, and Perales dropped 22 points.
“Honestly, I did not expect to get this far,” Jeradiah said. “We pushed through adversity, but today it hit us hard and they are a really good ball team.”
Rio Hondo’s Zechariah Rios and Jaiden Basaldua led the team in scoring with 11 points. Jeradiah finished with eight points, and Josh Laster came off the bench to score six points.