By JOSHUA MCKINNEY, Staff Writer
Depth and sharp free-throw shooting gave Brownsville Veterans Memorial its first BISD Tournament championship.
Brownsville Veterans beat District 32-6A rival Harlingen High 66-60 to win the championship game Saturday at Porter.
Chargers coach Larry Gibson thought accuracy from the charity stripe in a foul-heavy contest made the difference.
“That’s what won the game,” Gibson said. “We missed 20 free throws (against Sharyland Pioneer in semifinals). We told them free throws were going to win or lose this game, because both teams play aggressive, man defense. We knew there was going to be a lot of fouls, so we figured whoever made the free throws was going to do a better job.”
Harlingen High led the game throughout the first half, taking a 35-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Chargers kept gnawing at the Cardinals’ lead and kept it even into final seconds of the third quarter. Jeremiah Meyers took an inbounds pass from the backcourt baseline and powered his way to the hoop for a layup, drawing a foul in the process.
The senior guard, who led Brownsville Veterans with 15 points, made the free throw and put Brownsville Veterans in the lead 48-46 with 13.8 seconds left in the third quarter, and the Chargers didn’t trail again in the game.
Fouls ultimately were the undoing of Harlingen High in the tournament final, coach Greg Yates said.
“We got into foul trouble and had to sit some people at times,” Yates said. “We just have to strengthen the bench and get more depth. As long as we keep working on that, we’ll be fine.”
The Cardinals’ foul troubles also allowed the Chargers to score 31 points from free throws.
Brownsville Veterans also had problems with fouls in the physical contest, but an experienced bench kept play at a high level when getting into foul trouble.
“The key to this game was depth,” Gibson said. “We got into some foul trouble, and when we brought people of the bench it wasn’t a letdown. It was a total team effort.”
It’s the first week of the season, but the Chargers think the tournament win makes them a team to beat this year.
“(This) shows all the other schools not only in 32-6A but all the other 6A teams (in the area) to watch out,” BISD Tournament Most Valuable Player Alex Marquez said. “We’re coming.”
Marquez and all-tourney pick Martin Martinez scored 11 points, with nine coming in the second quarter. Kevin Gomez also represented Brownsville Veterans on the tournament’s all-tournament team.
Juan Cerrillo had a game-high 18 points for Harlingen High, and Ernie Ramirez scored 16. Cerrillo and Ramirez made the all-tournament team.
Joshua McKinney writes for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected] On Twitter, he’s @joshuabvherald.