By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
LOS FRESNOS – Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Bry Buitereira models her three-point shooting form after Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.
The sophomore paid tribute to her idol with 14 points and four 3-pointers to lead the Lady Chargers to a 50-21 victory during the final game of pool play Friday afternoon at the Los Fresnos Holiday Tournament.
“We had been struggling with our outside shots,” Brownsville Veterans coach Arnold Torres said. “I think starting off well gave the girls confidence, because we had been a little timid in our last few games. That (good) early start always gives us a little confidence and transfers over to the defense.”
Lizzy Garza added 13 points for Brownsville Veterans, eight of which came during the first quarter. Buitereira knocked down a corner 3 for the game’s first basket, and the Lady Chargers led 7-2 after a steal and a layup from Garza.
Buitereira buried another 3 from the top of the key with a minute and a half to go in the first quarter to give the Lady Chargers a 16-7 lead. She also beat the buzzer on a coast-to-coast layup off the glass to give Brownsville Veterans a 20-7 advantage at the end of the first period.
“It’s hard coming back from break with conditioning and all that,” Buitereira said. “Just working on those shots in practice makes a big difference.”
Alex Parchmont hit a corner 3 with 6:30 to play in the second quarter to provide the Lady Chargers with a 20-point cushion, up 27-7.
Ayisha Andrews scored Rio Hondo’s first points of the second quarter with a layup at the 3:30 mark.
Buitereira’s third triple came with 2:54 remaining in the half to put the Lady Chargers ahead 32-9. She swished a wide-open corner trey with 45 seconds left that sent Brownsville Veterans into the locker room with a 35-10 lead at the end of the first half.
Jazaline Ayala (five points) drilled a deep 3 for Rio Hondo that brought the score to 40-17 with 3:45 to play in the third quarter.
Shortly thereafter, point guard Juju Alvarez – normally the distributor for the Lady Chargers – got in on the action due to a series of nifty passes. She splashed a triple of her own that brought the lead to 43-17.
Buitereira’s court vision was also on display in the third quarter, turning down an open look from behind the arc for an assist to Alyssa Esquivel (eight points) under the basket.
“One of the things that we try to emphasize every time is that they make that extra pass,” Torres said. “I always like to make sure they understand that making that extra pass is better team.”
The Lady Chargers led 45-19 at the end of the third quarter, the most competitive period for the Lady Bobcats. Brownsville Veterans outscored Rio Hondo 10-9 in the period.
HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP
Host Los Fresnos, Harlingen South, and Brownsville Veterans all finished 2-0 on the day to earn places in the Platinum pool. Rio Hondo, PSJA High, and PSJA North split their pool play matchups to qualify for the Gold pool and Brownsville Jubilee, La Feria, and Mission IDEA North were sorted into the Silver pool.
Los Fresnos and Harlingen South are set to tip off today at 9 a.m. in the dome, and La Feria and Brownsville Jubilee will play at 9 a.m. in the back gym.
The Lady Titans will play Mission IDEA North at 10:30 a.m. in the back gym.
Harlingen South and Brownsville Veterans are slated to duel at noon in the dome, and Rio Hondo and PSJA High will tip off at noon in the back gym.
The Lionettes’ final game of the day will be against Mission IDEA North at 1:30 p.m. in the dome, and the Lady Bobcats will square off with PSJA North at 1:30 p.m. in the back gym.
The final game of the tournament will be host Los Fresnos against Brownsville Veterans at 3 p.m. in the dome.