RAYMONDVILLE — The District 32-4A title goes through Raymondville this season and the Bearkats were met with their first big test in district, the Port Isabel Tarpons.
It was Port Isabel’s night as the Tarpons cruised to a 71-46 victory over the Bearkats.
“Good win coming back from the break,” Port Isabel head coach Gilbert Rodriguez said. “We have not played a game in two weeks. We were worried about rust and we came out a little bit rusty at times, but it was good to get a game in finally.”
| Port Isabel’s Jeffrey Smith (3) throws a pass past Raymondville defenders Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022 during the game between Port Isabel and Raymondville at Raymondville.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
The Tarpons scored in bunches with plenty of quick 3-pointers during their possessions. Port Isabel nailed 11 shots from downtown.
“We just want to compete every game,” Rodriguez said. “If we do a good job we can compete for a district championship, that is one of our goals for this year.”
Port Isabel now moves to 2-0 in District 32-4A, while Raymondville is 1-1.
| Raymondville’s Slade Gutierrez (10) guards Port Isabel’s Cleveland Smith (1) Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022 during the game between Port Isabel and Raymondville at Raymondville.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
Junior guard Jeffrey Smith led the Tarpons in scoring with a game-high 23 points. Sophomore guard Christian Smith had 22 points. Christian Smith hit six shots from beyond the arc.
“Port Isabel is the best shooting team in our district,” Raymondville head coach Rick Tamez said. “To keep up, you have to shoot the ball well, and we just could not do that tonight.”
The Tarpons went in the half up 43-22 after going on a 19-4 run. The Bearkats cut the Tarpons’ 20-11 first quarter lead to six points before the Tarpons unleashed a run filled with deep shots, scoring 11 unanswered points during the 19-4 run.
| Raymondville’s Adrian Guajardo (1) grabs the rebound Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022 during the game between Port Isabel and Raymondville at Raymondville.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
“We just have to find more consistency in our game,” Tamez said. “Two, or three mistakes and they will make you pay. We are still trying to find some leadership.”
Raymondville graduated key seniors, but Tamez is hopeful that the Bearkats will be in the top four when district is over, he said.
| Raymondville’s Diego Gutierrez (23) jumps past Port Isabel to score Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022 during the game between Port Isabel and Raymondville at Raymondville.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
Adrian Guajardo and Orlando Garza led the Bearkats in scoring with 10 points each.
Raymondville returns to action against Zapata at 8 p.m. Friday at Zapata High School, while Port Isabel hosts Grulla at 8 p.m. Friday as well.