WESLACO — Brownsville Veterans Memorial brushed aside another early contender for its district title.
The Chargers have now won 20 straight District 32-5A games with a 61-25 win over the Weslaco East Wildcats on Tuesday night at Weslaco East High School.
“I feel like the girls trust each other a lot,” Brownsville Veterans Memorial head coach Arnold Torres said. “I think, them knowing there is a team effort and people are ready to step up and help, it helps them play a little more relaxed.”
Weslaco East entered the game matching the Brownsville Veterans record in district at 4-0.
“We knew coming in today was going to be a tough game,” Torres said. “We talked about being ready, prepared and trusting each other. I think today we did a good job at that.”
Brownsville Veterans Memorial jumped on Weslaco East from the start with a 16-2 lead to open the game. Chargers guard Briana Brackhahn scored seven of her game-high 13 points in the opening quarter.
“We came out intimidated,” Weslaco East head coach William Kromer said. “I tried my best to talk it down, but we faced a very disciplined ball club. Everybody can shoot, they have another gear, they have not been tested in district and they were ready for the game.”
The Chargers made 12 shots from beyond the arc on the night. Seniors Alexa Torres and Mariana Espinosa both scored 12 points and combined to make seven 3-pointers.
Alexa Torres hit four in the second quarter to help give the Chargers a 34-12 halftime lead. Brownsville Veterans Memorial did not let up and saw out the victory comfortably in the second half.
The Chargers patience on offense resulted in good shot selection and the defense picking up early stops was the difference Arnold Torres said.
“We try to take it one game at a time,” he said. “We take every team as a challenge, to make sure we are prepared.”
Brownsville Veterans plays Donna North, Mercedes, Brownsville Pace and Edcouch-Elsa to finish off the first round of district.
The Wildcats take on the Mercedes Tigers in their next district game.
“We have to regroup against Mercedes on Thursday,” Kromer said. “Definitely, a team we can beat. We beat them in a tournament, but that does not matter now. They will be a tough team. We are better and we can play better. We just have to get out here tomorrow, get a sweat in and regroup.”
Joanna Gonzales and Clarissa Rodriguez both finished with eight points to lead the Wildcats in scoring.