ROY HESS | Staff Writer
PORT ISABEL — Once the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons start playing their uptempo style of basketball, they’re difficult to slow down.
The Port Isabel Lady Tarpons found that out Tuesday night as the Lady Falcons raced to a 75-47 non-district victory at the Port Isabel gym.
“I believe this was one of our top scoring games (this season),” Los Fresnos coach Rebecca Valdez said. “We worked well as a team tonight. Our passing has gotten better, and I think we had fewer turnovers than we normally have.
“We’ve still got to work on our defense because we’re still standing straight up sometimes,” Valdez added. “But overall, I’m happy how we played in this game.”
The Lady Falcons improved to 8-3. The Lady Tarpons slipped to 8-4 with the home-court loss.
“When we scheduled Los Fresnos, we knew it would be a tough game,” Lady Tarpons coach Hannah Burleson said. “We needed some good competition, and that’s why they’re on the schedule.
“This game showed us some things we’ve got to work on, but I think it will prepare us for District (32-4A),” Burleson added. “Los Fresnos has a great team. That’s why we wanted to play them. Yes, we’ve got some things to work on, but we’ll get better. We’ve still got time before district starts (in December).”
The Lady Falcons, members of District 32-6A, scored more than 20 points during three of the four quarters.
They were up 21-14 by the end of the first period and held a 44-22 advantage at halftime after outscoring the Lady Tarpons 23-8 during the second quarter.
Los Fresnos was outpointed 13-10 during the third quarter but still took a 54-35 lead into the final eight minutes. The Lady Falcons won by a 28-point margin after outscoring the Lady Tarpons 21-12 during the fourth period.
The largest lead for the Lady Falcons was 28 points, which was the lead at the end. A pair of free throws by Los Fresnos’ Sarahi Jones with 1:35 remaining made it 75-47.
Leading the way for the Lady Falcons in the scorebook were Ari Gallardo, Jovanna Adame and Dom Clemons with 18, 14 and 13 points, respectively. Gallardo sank one 3-pointer. Teammates Jasmin Garcia and Clarissa Esquivel each added nine points with one 3-pointer apiece.
Sabrina Garza and Gabby Murchison each scored 12 points to lead the Lady Tarpons. All of Murchison’s points came during the second half. Also for Port Isabel, Ryley Galvan and Sabrina Gonzalez each added nine points, with Galvan making two 3-pointers and Gonzalez one.
Both teams next play in tournaments starting Thursday. Los Fresnos goes to a tournament in Laredo, and Port Isabel plays in La Feria’s Wiseman Tournament.