By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
It’s nearly impossible for Brownsville Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez to keep his Vikings out of the gym.
Even on Thanksgiving Day, his players were blowing up his phone, wanting to get some work in.
That endless passion for basketball is something observers can feel when watching the TABC Class 5A No. 24 Vikings in action. Pace’s will to win fueled its suffocating defense Tuesday, leading to a 73-52 non-district victory over the Los Fresnos Falcons at home.
“They put in a lot of work, unbelievable work,” Ramirez said. “Every day they come in here and they grind. It’s a special group, and I know they look great on the floor because they hustle. They love to win, and they hate to lose.
“Every game we get to play is an opportunity for us to get better and grow,” he added. “I know there’s a lot of hype about this team, but we don’t pressure ourselves like that. We don’t look at that. We believe we’re great, but at the same time we have to be humble and know that each night we have to prove ourselves.”
Los Fresnos jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind a good start from Roger Capetillo and Darius Garcia, who competed on the boards. The Vikings responded with a 7-0 run sparked by Cristian Guajardo and Dax Delgado.
The Falcons used crisp passing to create scoring opportunities in the paint to regain the lead midway through the opening quarter. Then, Pace’s defensive fuse was lit, and the Vikings dominated the rest of the first half to take a 37-18 advantage at halftime.
Elias Fortaneli, Alexander Agado and Tyler Rudder led the defensive charge, staying low and using their active hands to swipe steals and force poor passes and turnovers. Delgado and Chase Morales cleaned up the rebounds, and played good defense inside against Los Fresnos’ size.
Pace monopolized the momentum and went on a 20-0 run that carried into the second quarter. Guajardo scored 16 of his 27 points during the first half, driving through double teams for layups and knocking down deep 3-pointers. He hit five from behind the arc and dished out a handful of assists as he anchored Pace’s consistent offensive production.
Delgado and Benny Villarreal combined to score 10 points inside the paint as they muscled their way to rebounds and kissed strong drives off the glass.
“Relentless defense. We swarm. If somebody loses a man, someone else is going to be there to pick them up,” Ramirez said. “That’s what we live on. We have prolific scorers, we have guys that can run the floor and finish layups and make free throws, shoot 3s. We have all the things offensively, but it all starts with our defense.”
Capetillo, Garcia and Keane Ogao sparked Los Fresnos’ fight during the second half. The Falcons showcased their defensive abilities and held Pace to its lowest offensive production in the third quarter, allowing only 15 points. Los Fresnos forced some turnovers and swarmed to the ball to keep the Vikings contained.
Capetillo (14 points) used his size to battle for rebounds and plow through Pace’s defense to the basket. He scored 10 points during the second half and finished consecutive strong drives to start the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to 11 points. Garcia and Ogao also rebounded well and showed their handles to create space and knock down shots.
“I called them out at halftime,” Falcons coach Marco Hinojosa said. “I asked them to step up to the challenge and play as hard as (Pace was) playing, and the second half they did that. I don’t mind losing as long as we compete, and they competed in the second half, so I’m proud of the way they finished the basketball game (and) for responding at halftime.”
Pace opened things up again behind a strong fourth quarter from Morales and Rudder. The Vikings controlled the game’s tempo in all but the third quarter, racing up the court with long feeds after defensive rebounds and distributing the ball to their many scorers.
Even with subs closing out both halves, the Vikings kept Los Fresnos in check and turned in an impressive performance from start to finish.
“Pace is just a phenomenal team. My hat’s off to them,” Hinojosa said. “They should be doing some special things this year. They’re in 5A, not in my district, so I’m 100 percent rooting for them. Coach Ramirez was one of my old high school coaches, and I’ve got nothing but respect for him and his program.”