By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer
ELSA — Port Isabel coach Mike Hazelton knew from the beginning he and his squad were in for a wire-to-wire battle in their bi-district playoff game against Kingsville King. And that’s exactly what the Tarpons got.
Dennis Lozano led Port Isabel with 18 points and the Tarpons edged the Brahmas 58-53 on Monday at Edcouch-Elsa in front of a large crowd of blue-clad supporters.
After trailing by five points at the end of the first quarter, Cole Pinkerton scored seven of his eight total points in a row for the Tarpons to start the second quarter and cut the deficit to three.
Pinkerton said Monday’s game felt like a home game and that he and his teammates were grateful for the support from the fans who traveled an hour west to Elsa.
“In the beginning, like (Hazelton) told us, we were trying to play a little bit too much hero-ball,” Pinkerton said. “In the second quarter, Dennis found me and my teammates found me, and it was good for me to have that trust from my teammates. … That opened it up a little bit more for everyone.”
Kingsville King answered and widened the lead back to five, but Daniel Rinza (13 points) drew a foul and completed a three-point play with 4:11 to go, bringing the Brahmas’ lead to 20-17.
He paused for a moment to soak in the roar of the crowd before sinking the foul shot.
On the next possession, at the 3:26 mark, Rinza tied the game at 20 with a corner 3, prompting Kingsville King coach Korey Hardeman to call a timeout as the Port Isabel faithful continued to elevate the deafening noise in the gym.
“When we feed off of our energy, I believe we are unstoppable,” Rinza said. “And that’s what happened tonight.”
With Port Isabel trailing by one point, Kaiden Martinez (15 points) put the Tarpons in front 22-21 after being fouled on a layup. Martinez missed the ensuing free throw.
Gabe Garcia laid the ball in off the glass for Kingsville King, and Dennis Lozano converted a three-point play during a frenetic final minute of the first half that sent the Brahmas into the locker room up 27-25.
Curt Bencze (16 points) and Nathan Garcia (18 points) led the Brahmas with nine first-half points each.
“We made an adjustment at halftime,” Hazelton said, noting that earlier in the year Port Isabel faced Kingsville King without Bencze earlier in the season. “We knew (this game) was going to be different.”
Pinkerton (eight points) and Rinza (13 points) combined for 13 of Port Isabel’s 18 second quarter points.
Lozano sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 6:04 remaining in the third quarter to give the Tarpons a 28-27 edge.
Bencze tied the game at 32 with a short two-handed floater with three minutes left in the third quarter.
He missed a chance to put Kingsville King ahead by a bucket when he split a trip to the throw line with 2:23 to go, and Lozano made him pay, knocking down another triple that sent the Tarpons back in front 35-33 with 2:06 to play in the third quarter.
“Dennis Lozano, he took off tonight,” Pinkerton said. “He played amazing. … He opened things up and we started talking more and clicking more. At first we were slow on our feet. … (We improved by focusing on) the little things, things like that.”
The third quarter ended with the two teams deadlocked at 36, and it was time for Lozano and Martinez to shine. The two combined for half of the Tarpons’ 26 points in the period.
“Dennis played outstanding,” Rinza said. “I gotta give him a lot of credit, he’s like my brother on this team. We’ve been playing since we were small. I told him ‘I didn’t want this to be our last game,’ so I just told him that whoever’s feeling it during the game to (have them) take the ball and we’ll back them up.”
Sophomore Josue Navarro came off the bench to make a huge block on Garcia’s three-point attempt that allowed Port Isabel to regain possession at the 4:55 mark, sending the already raucous Tarpons crowd into a further frenzy.
When Martinez’s deep 3 rattled in and out and in again, and a Kingsville King turnover led to Martinez standing all alone for an easy layup under the basket to provide the Tarpons a 47-38 cushion with 3:40 left, it was effectively over.
Next up for Port Isabel is an area round date with the winner of Devine and Navarro, who are slated to play at 6 p.m. today.