By JOSHUA McKINNEY, Staff Writer
Rio Hondo started the second half with a 21-13 lead and led by eight at one point in the third quarter.
The Lady Tarpons took the lead during the third quarter and got within one possession of Rio Hondo during the final minute of the game.
“I hate to say, but with our girls, when they’re down a lot, there’s a mental switch and they just play even harder,” Ramsey said. “It’s unfortunate that we wait that long to kick it in gear but they just have that drive, that competitiveness where they want to get out there on defense.”
Victoria Aguilar led the Lady Bobcats with 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Alexis Rodriguez scored 13 points and led Rio Hondo with 11 rebounds.
Alexandria Martinez finished the game as Port Isabel’s leading scorer with 21 points, and she also had eight steals. Karina Vela grabbed 12 rebounds to provide the Lady Tarpons with a strong presence in the paint.
The Lady Bobcats jumped ahead in with a 17-point first quarter. The Lady Bobcats used their height to dominate the boards early, which helped their hot start to the game.
“I think we had just a slight height advantage on them in the inside, which was good because we were able to get second-chance shots on them,” Rio Hondo coach Robert Jaramillo said. “It’s kind of what helped us a little bit.”
The Lady Tarpons’ defense helped get the team’s offense in a rhythm during the second half.
Martinez closed the gap between the two teams with an eight-point charge, bringing the score to 23-20 midway through the quarter.
“We were kind of our own worst enemy passing the ball across the frontcourt,” Jaramillo said. “They were doing a good job of anticipating that crosscourt pass and stealing the ball for looks. We just have to protect the ball a little bit better and be smarter on our passes.”
The home side took its first lead of the game a few possessions later.
Larissa Torres went up for a layup and drew a foul on the shot. She fell hard after the lay-up and was taken out of the game with an apparent leg injury. Torres did not return.
Laura Moctezuma subbed in and made the free throw to give the Lady Tarpons their first lead of the game at 24-23
The Lady Bobcats took the lead back and ended the third ahead 34-30.
Port Isabel started the fourth quarter slow but was within two points of Rio Hondo’s 45-43 lead with 33.7 seconds left in the game after two buckets and a free throw by Martinez.
Aguilar scored on a layup on Rio Hondo’s next possession to take a two-possession lead with little time left in the final quarter.
Martinez took multiple shots from beyond the 3-point line but didn’t land one, preserving Rio Hondo’s 47-43 victory.
“I think there at the end of the fourth quarter, we were there,” Ramsey said. “There was just one minute in the fourth quarter were we had letdowns.
Joshua McKinney covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @joshuabvherald.