STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial coach Valentin Paz had two goals for his team prior to its game against Brownsville Porter on Saturday: continue to improve on defense and give his bench unit more minutes.
The Lady Chargers accomplished both objectives and cruised to a 49-20 win, improving to 2-1 in District 32-5A play and 10-12 overall.
“We told the girls that our second group actually executed our half-court trap a few times more (than the starters),” Paz said. “Maybe offensively they’re standing around, but defensively, they came in and did their job. I’m really proud of them.”
Junior starters Alex Parchmont (nine points) and Lizzie Garza (10 points) held up their end of the bargain for the Lady Chargers offensively, and the two combined to form a disruptive defensive duo, forcing turnovers that led to easy baskets as Brownsville Memorial went on a 17-7 run during the first quarter and never looked back.
Junior Alyssa Esquivel, freshman Caitlin Esquivel, and junior Destiny Contreras each chipped in six points, and freshman Bryanna Buitureira scored five points for Brownsville Veterans.
Paz was impressed by how his team bounced back from a double-digit loss at McAllen Memorial and worked to improve during the winter break.
“Over the last couple of days, we’ve been working on some different things with our defense,” Paz said. “With our press and our half-court trap, we’ve been trying to add another layer to what we’ve already been doing. We’ve spent probably 70 percent of our time on defense.”
Paz said he talked Friday with Garza about the history of the Brownsville Veterans program, “carrying the torch from our players from the last three generations,” and “adding to our legacy and her legacy by leading. She did that by getting out on the break. She’s pretty fast and she’s got a lot of length, and so that’s key to what we were working on. She was active and got tips, and we were able to get out on the open floor and run.”
An All-Metro Newcomer as a freshman, Garza has since assumed the leadership mantle vacated by former All-Metro MVPs Hannah Meyers and Jordan Rudd.
Sophomore reserve guards Alaniz Cuellar and Julia Alvarez earned Garza’s praise for their persistence on defense, keeping their feet on the gas and forcing Porter to shoot from behind the arc.
“All the guards in the post that came in and helped, they came in with energy,” Garza said. “They bring a lot of effort. When they start scoring, it helps the starters as well when we keep the same momentum and keep the energy high.”
Kladys Sandoval led Porter with six points.
Brownsville Veterans next plays at Lopez at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, and Porter is at Edcouch-Elsa.