JOSEPH TELLO | Staff Writer
RIO HONDO — The Rio Hondo Bobcats were not only playing on Friday to defeat the Zapata Hawks, but for head coach JR Guzman’s 600th victory, as well.
Unfortunately, the Bobcats didn’t accomplish their goal as they fell to the Hawks 57-35, leaving Coach Guzman stuck at win No. 599.
“We talked about it before the game and I made it clear that our focus wasn’t on me getting the 600th win, but to get the victory, most importantly,” said Guzman. “We tried everything we could on defense and we weren’t aggressive on our offensive end, either. They (Zapata) came to play. They’re a playoff team, but our guys didn’t play with enough energy to get the win.”
The Hawks, who lost to District 32-4A-leading La Feria last week, were anxious to get back in business against the Bobcats, and it showed on Friday.
Zapata’s Marcos Bustamente had the hot hand for the Hawks, scoring 26 points while teammate Curly Villa pitched in 14 and grabbed seven rebounds.
The two lead the surge for the Hawks throughout the game and built a momentum for Zapata that Rio Hondo couldn’t match.
For the Bobcats, Albert Adames lead the team in scoring with seven points and snagged four steals with one rebound. Behind Adames was teammate Gonzalo Ortega, who scored five points, grabbed three rebounds and had three steals.
“It’s not going to take much to fire the guys up when we play against La Feria next Tuesday,” Guzman said. “And if anybody can knock off La Feria, it’s going to be us.”