SAN BENITO — The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers come into the season as the defending District 32-5A champion, but it graduated key players.
The Chargers returned Mariana Espinosa, who averaged 12.8 points per game in 2021 as a junior. Espinosa finished with 13 points and five assists to help lead the Chargers over the San Benito Greyhounds 47-25 Tuesday at San Benito High School.
“It felt good to get back on the court,” Brownsville Veterans head coach Arnold Torres Jr. said. “I think both teams were kind of excited, a little nervous, you can tell because both teams were making little mistakes. We knew coming in San Benito was going to put pressure on the ball and it would be a challenge for us.”
“We are happy to come out with a win, good to get back on the court and get the girls’ feet wet,” Torres Jr. said.
The Greyhounds had chances in the fourth quarter after cutting the lead to single digits multiple times, but the Chargers and Espinosa finished the game strong. Espinosa’s layup and free-throw put the Chargers up 40-26 late in the fourth quarter when the Greyhounds needed a stop.
“We still are having a hard time getting the ball in the hole,” San Benito head coach Abel Moreno said. “That is the biggest problem we have. They do not know how to get the ball in the basket. Sometimes the girls get emotional and they do not stay with their game. We are still fighting some of that. We have a young group of girls, it has been pretty difficult, plus we have a couple of girls out still.”
The Greyhounds, a team with only two seniors, finished fifth in District 32-6A in 2021. San Benito (0-2) opened the season with Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial on Friday.
San Benito returns to non-district play against PSJA North at noon Saturday, Nov. 26, at San Benito High School. Brownsville Veterans’ next non-district opponent will be Harlingen High at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, at Brownsville Veterans.
Both teams will be playing in tournaments ahead of those non-district games.