By MARK MOLINA | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Billed as a matchup between two teams with playoff aspirations, the young upstart Vikings and the senior-laden Los Fresnos Falcons didn’t disappoint.
The Vikings’ hot shooting put them in control early and kept things interesting throughout, but it was a 10-3 run to open the fourth quarter that paved the way for the Falcons to pick up a 72-67 win Friday night at Pace High School.
Trailing 56-55 to open the fourth, the Falcons went on to outscore the Vikings 17-9 in the final period, but despite the clutch play late, Los Fresnos head coach had nothing but praise for his opponents.
“I have to give credit to Pace — they’re a good ballclub,” he said. “I was worried coming into the game because I didn’t know anything about Pace except that they are well-coached.
“The biggest reason we won is because we have a senior ballclub and sometimes experience plays a role and I think it played a role tonight.”
Pace (3-4) sank 11 three-point shots on the night, but was held to just two in the fourth and made just four field goals in the final eight minutes as Los Fresnos (5-3) locked down the perimeter.
“We fell out of rhythm, but credit to (Los Fresnos), they were getting to us defensively,” Pace head coach Jose Luis Ramirez said. “We didn’t get the same looks we got in the first half; they adjusted to that. Ultimately, our maturity got the best of us.
“We have a lot of kids that are new and a lot of kids that are young, so these games are important to us to get better. I think we got better tonight.”
The Vikings opened the first quarter on a 6-0 run over the first three minutes of the game.
Los Fresnos cut that lead to a point quickly, but Anthony Anzaldua began to heat up from beyond the arc, sinking four 3s to help Pace to a 22-17 lead after one.
The first quarter was a tough one from the paint for the Falcons, misfiring at the rim multiple times.
“We came out (not playing well),” Los Fresnos senior Jordan Urbina said. “Coach said we missed a handful of layups and we just needed to start pushing, cutting and finishing on the other end. Most of our starting group has been in tough situations like these, so we know how to handle it.”
The Falcons took their first lead on a Gabe Martinez trey early in the second in the middle of a 9-3 spurt, but that would be just one of eight lead changes in the second.
Urbina led the way in the second with eight points.
After an exchange of shots and runs, Pace’s Julio Ortega would end the half on a buzzer-beating layup to give the Vikings a 39-38 lead at the half.
Pace opened the lead back to five to start the half, but an 8-0 Los Fresnos run capped with an Andrew Carrizales three-pointer gave the Falcons the lead right back.
The Vikings entered the fourth with a lead after another late basket by Ortega.
Back-to-back threes from Carrizales and Gabe Martinez gave Los Fresnos a six-point lead with 5:19 left in the game.
Pace would not get any closer than three from that point on.
Urbina led the Falcons with 19 points and Martinez added 15, including four makes from downtown.
Pace’s Ortega led all scorers with 21 points. Anzaldua pitched in 19 for the Vikings and hit five 3s in the game.