By EDWARD SEVERN, Special to RGVSports.com
BROWNSVILLE — The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers got their basketball season off with a win over the San Benito Lady Greyhounds 60-34.
Both teams looked to get into a rhythm early with long possessions on offense. The defense was tight early as both teams looked to break down the opponent’s half-court defense.
The Lady Chargers jumped out to an 8-3 lead, but that was answered by an old fashioned 3-point play by Jasmine Martinez and a layup by Angelina Reyes, tying the game at 8.
Lady Chargers point guard Alexa Torres intercepted a pass at halfcourt and found Caite Esquivel for the easy two points, and a 3-pointer from Annie Cisneros gave Brownsville Veterans a 13-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Brownsville Veterans busted open the scoreline during the second quarter. It was great all night at sticking a hand in defensively and creating turnovers. Second-chance points were common as well as the Lady Chargers crashed the boards often, creating more opportunities for their offense.
“I think getting our hands on the ball is important for us defensively because it gives us an opportunity to try to score some transition points,” Brownsville Veterans coach Arnold Torres Jr. said. “It makes us a better team, it gives us an opportunity to play fast, and when we do that with control we are a better team.”
Bry Buitureira capped off a 19-4 second quarter for the Lady Chargers by crossing up a couple of Lady Greyhounds defenders and dropping a dime down low to Mariana Espinosa. Brownsville Veterans went into the half up 35-12.
The Lady Greyhounds came out with some fight during the third quarter. Defensively, they created turnovers, and on offense they hit a couple of 3-pointers to cut the lead to 46-26 at the end of the third quarter.
The lead that Brownsville Veterans created in the second quarter was too much for San Benito to overcome, despite the good third quarter. The Lady Chargers built on their lead during the fourth quarter, winning 60-34.
“I felt like we started a little rusty, we were little lazy on the help side, but the girls started to get into the game,” Torres said. “It is different playing against players other than your own teammates. It took them a while to get used to the speed.
“San Benito is a quick team. It took us a little while, but I was pleased with the adjustments in the quarter. That second quarter gave us a cushion and allowed us to be more aggressive the rest of the game.”
Esquivel led the Lady Chargers with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Buitureira added 16 points, Espinosa had 12 and Jordyn Rivera 8.