KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
LA FERIA — Corpus Christi Miller shook off a slow start and leaned on senior Rahene Nedd — who scored a game-high 16 points — to rally for a 50-38 win over Corpus Christi West Oso on Saturday in the championship game of the 89th C.E. Vail Tournament.
Nedd was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Teammate Luis Brian scored nine points and Malik Edwards added two in the win, and both were named to the all-tournament team.
“Winning this means my hard work has paid off,” Nedd said. “Nothing I did in the offseason went to waste, and it showed on the court. Right now I feel good, and as a leader on the court I feel I need to help set the tone.”
The Buccaneers fell behind 12-5 early and later trailed 18-12 at the end of the first quarter. West Oso got off to a strong start on offense, and AJ Lopez helped lead the attack with seven first-quarter points. He finished with a team-high 13 points.
After a lackluster first quarter, Nedd found his groove and led an 11-2 run during the final two minutes of the first half. He scored 10 second-quarter points to give his team a 33-25 lead at halftime.
“I knew that as time progressed, we would have an opportunity to gain some momentum,” Miller coach Maurice Bastian said. “West Oso is a young ballclub, so we knew we had to stick to our game plan and play hard and execute as much as possible.”
Miller didn’t slow down in the second half. They continued their hot shooting and outscoring West Oso 10-3 during the third quarter.
Miller has 11 players who also play football. Bastian is now getting a majority of his team back after the school’s football team went three rounds deep in the playoffs, and playing in the Vail gave the Bucs an opportunity to get into basketball shape.
“We are still behind, and we have only had about four practices,” Bastian said. “But as far as today’s game, we knew it would be a tough one and it was. West Oso is a neighborhood battle. We have had many classic battles with them.”
The Buccaneers are no stranger to the Vail, either. Their last trip to the finals was in 2017, when they lost 60-42 to Harlingen High. Saturday’s win marked their first Vail title since the 2012 season, when they beat Sharyland High 50-43.
“This is a historic tournament with a lot of tradition,” Bastian said. “Especially around this time. Ninety percent of my players play football, so this tournament allows us to work on some things, and we know the quality of play will always be constant. We were just happy to come down here and play.”