KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
LA FERIA — Edinburg Economedes needed every ounce of energy it had left to fend off the Mercedes Tigers. The offenses were identical, pushing the ball in transition and shooting the 3-ball.
The Jaguars shot well from beyond the arc and again leaned on Jonathan Barrientes, who returned to their lineup last week and instantly helped make the difference.
Barrientes scored a game-high 17 points and helped lead the Jags to a 52-48 championship win over the Tigers in the 87th annual C.E Vail title game Saturday.
“Our team chemistry is one thing that I liked over these last few days,” Jags coach Carlos Ramos said. “The kids are starting to jell, and when we had Barrientes go down with an injury we had kids step up and gain experience, and that helped.”
Barrientes was named tournament MVP.
“It just feels great to be back on the court and with my teammates,” Barrientes said. “It’s nice to win MVP, but it doesn’t mean it’s about me. This is about my team, and I couldn’t do it without them.”
The Jags came out swinging during the first half and built a 25-13 lead late in the second quarter. During the second half, the Tigers caught fire from the floor behind Jared Castaneda and Brandon Lozoya.
The Tigers took an early lead in the third quarter, but trailed by five for a majority of the second half. Late turnovers in the final minutes ultimately cost the Tigers.
Along with Barrientes, Angel Salinas scored 11 and Saul Alanis finished with 13 points. For the Tigers, Lozoya scored 11 points and Castaneda netted 15.
Corpus Christi Miller finished in third place behind Mercedes. Port Isabel had Daniel Rinza and Cole Pinkerton named to the all-tournament team. Representing La Feria was Manny Solis and Noah Conde.
Poteet Tournament
The train continues to roll for the San Perlita Trojans. On Saturday, the Trojans fed off a dominant 52-point, 13-rebound performance from junior Tige Johnson en route to a 92-85 win over Poth in the Poteet Aggies Roundball Classic championship.
“I’m extremely proud of my kids, they showed up today with a purpose and wanted this win,” Trojans coach Nataniel Garza said. “We got tested several times against Poth, we were down by eight at one point, and the kids showed great character by not giving up and playing hard.”
Along with Johnson, Jake Howell, E.J. Nieto and Julian Herrera each scored 10 points. In the semis, San Perlita beat Comfort 96-83 and, on Thursday, San Perlita beat Pearsall 87-47 and cruised past Poteet 101-68. In their four games, the Trojans averaged 94 points per game.
Hidalgo Tournament
Harlingen South went 2-2 at the Hidalgo Tournament. The Hawks finished with a 64-5 win over Alamo IDEA, and Ethan Mireles was named to the all-tournament team. Against IDEA, Joe Cortez scored 13 points and Brady Bennett finished with eight points.
South also picked up a 66-32 win over Grulla. The losses were 74-70 to Laredo LBJ and 75-58 against Brownsville Pace.
Rio Hondo was at the Hidalgo Tournament, too, and went 3-2. Jabez Villarreal was named to the all-tournament team. After dropping their first two games against Mission High and Sharyland Pioneer, the Bobcats finished strong by winning three straight.
“After losing the first two games, we showed a lot of resiliency by winning our last three games to win the gold bracket. The guys are trusting each other and are moving the ball around a lot better,” Rio Hondo coach Mike Alvarez said. “We got better as a team, and that is all I can ask for.”
In a 51-41 win over San Benito in the gold bracket final, the ’Cats fed off a 22-point performance from Villarreal. Along with Villarreal, Daniel Garcia added 11 points and Zeke Rios finished with nine points.