By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
Two streaks came to an end Friday night at Porter.
The Pace Vikings entered the game on two-game losing streak, and the Porter Cowboys had won four straight.
The teams remained close until the end of the first quarter, then the Vikings (15-11, 7-2 in District 32-5A) pulled away for a 54-38 win.
“We were a lot more aggressive, had a lot more energy, a lot more fire, a lot more teamwork,” Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez said. “We’ve been preaching that all week.
“We suffered a loss that we shouldn’t have on Tuesday, and you either bounce back or you dwell on it. My kids bounced back, and I was happy to see that today. The way we played today means more than the win.
“All this week it was about playing the game for the love and passion we have for it, not worrying about wins or losses, but going out there and doing what we know we can do.”
After Porter (11-15, 5-3) scored the final four points of the opening quarter to narrow its deficit to one point, Pace answered with a 7-2 run to start the second quarter, capped by a Steven Garza dunk. That’s when the Vikings began to separate themselves.
The Cowboys responded with a 3-pointer but soon gave way to another Pace run in which the Vikings tallied nine consecutive points, including six by Andres Salgado. The Vikings led by 12 points at halftime.
The last time the teams met earlier in the district season, Pace capitalized on Porter’s zone coverage and used accuracy from beyond the arc to beat the Cowboys. That prompted Porter coach Luis Garza to switch to man-to-man defense in an attempt to prevent the same result.
“They’re just a better team right now,” Garza said. “I made a mistake manning up, I should have stayed with what we had been doing well. We had been zoning during our win streak. I made a judgment call, and I think it hurt us more.
“They played better, they were a little hungrier, a little more aggressive than us. The bottom line is, they’ve got our number, they swept us, they were the better team.”
Pace extended its lead to 17 when Salgado opened the third quarter with five more points.
With 2:03 remaining in the quarter, Porter trimmed its deficit to nine, but Pace responded with six points to close the third and two to open the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys trailed by 16 and scored just nine fourth-quarter points.
Salgado was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points, and teammate Angel Muñozadded 10 for Pace. Chris Ramirez led the Cowboys with eight points.
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.