By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
The Hanna Golden Eagles have cleared themselves a path to the championship.
By handing the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds a 55-35 loss Friday in the BISD Classic boys varsity tournament, Hanna will be placed into the championship bracket today.
Hanna opened the game with three straight baskets, one by Andy Lopez and two by Alex Herrera, who had a handful of steals to aid in the defensive effort during the first quarter.
Though the Eagles were ahead 12-7, it wasn’t until the second quarter that they pulled away. Efficient shooting extended their lead to 31-15 at halftime, which proved too much for SJA to handle.
“The first half we came out with the intensity we wanted and focused,” Hanna coach Todd Barkholtz said. “We got some good shots and put the pressure on them.”
Lopez hit a 3-pointer to open the second quarter, triggering a hot streak for the Eagles.
Hanna sank six of its next 10 shots to close out the half, including another 3 from Lopez to go with two deep baskets from Andrew Briseño and a 3 from Ed Messbarger.
The ’Hounds looked better at the start of the second half, draining six of their first seven shots to cut the deficit to nine points.
“We’ve got to look at the positives we had there in the third quarter and keep building on that,” St. Joseph coach Sam Lucio said. “(During the second half) we wanted to execute our offense better, pass the ball and not get it stuck in one person’s hands.”
The 12-6 run was powered by Julio Garcia with five points, Sean Cantu with four and Andres Borrego’s 3.
However, after a Hanna timeout, St. Joseph only hit one free throw the remainder of the quarter, halting its effort at a comeback.
The Eagles continued with consistent play and strong defense. The Bloodhounds failed to make a field goal for a nine-minute stretch between the third and fourth quarters, and Hanna spread the ball around as it had the entire game.
The Eagles had three players score in double digits. Herrera led all scorers with 15 points, Briseño added 13 and Lopez chipped in 10. Julio Garcia was the Bloodhounds’ leading scorer with 11 points.
“We’ve got two more chances (today) to get better,” Lucio said. “We’ve got two more games, and this is what we’re using to get ready for our district. Playing good teams like Hanna is going to help us in the long run.”
The Eagles have earned a place in the championship bracket, and Barkholtz is feeling positive about his team moving forward.
“We could always be doing a little better,” he said, “but early on, trying to integrate new guys to varsity, I’m pleased with their hustle.
“We’ll wake up (today) where we want to be.”
On the final day of the tournament, the Bloodhounds will face the Rivera Raiders at 9 a.m., and the Eagles will take on the Hidalgo Pirates at noon. Both games will be held at Pace.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.