By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Basketball was in full force from sunrise until well after sunset Thursday as the Brownsville ISD girls and boys tournaments commenced.
There was a last-minute change on the girls side, moving Rio Hondo into the pool with Lyford and Los Fresnos, and Brownsville IDEA Riverview moving into the group with Brownsville Porter and Edinburg Harvest.
Rio Hondo defeated Lyford 45-35 to open its campaign. Eliza Rodriguez paced the Rio Hondo Lady Bobcats in the victory, scoring 22 points and playing aggressive defense that resulted in steals, blocks and forced turnovers. Jalyssa Saucedo and Alexis Rhyner contributed to the defensive onslaught that anchored Rio Hondo’s win and held Lyford to 10 points scored during the second half.
Damaris Bermudez led the Lady Bulldogs with 12 points. Alyssa Garcia and Marley Perez played well for Lyford, but as a unit, the Lady Bulldogs struggled to finish under the basket and convert on free throws. They went 5-for-20 at the charity stripe.
The San Perlita Lady Trojans picked up a 36-12 victory over Santa Rosa in their first game of the day. San Perlita held the Lady Warriors scoreless during the fourth quarter and only allowed four points in the first half.
Both teams had some shooting woes early and ended the first half with San Perlita leading 3-2. The Lady Trojans pulled away behind a solid defensive effort and consistent rebounding from their bigs inside the paint.
Aliyah Garcia and Summer Terry led the way with eight points each. Garcia was a rebounding machine late in the game and started knocking down shots down low. Following an early injury to starter Elyssa Nieto, Terry stepped up her game and drove hard to the basket to get the offense going.
Some of the top girls teams were PSJA High, Edinburg Harvest, McAllen Rowe and McAllen High, which all went 2-0 in pool play and secured spots in the platinum bracket.
Brownsville Hanna and Harlingen High JV faced off at 6:30 for the top seed in Pool A, as did Edinburg Vela and Brownsville Lopez for first in Pool B, and San Perlita and Brownsville Pace for Pool C’s top spot. Los Fresnos and Rio Hondo had an 8 p.m. tipoff for Pool G’s No. 1 seed.
On the boys side, the host Hanna Golden Eagles went 2-0 on Thursday, getting one step closer to securing a spot in the platinum bracket. Hanna defeated Brownsville Jubilee 69-32 then took down Brownsville Porter 63-25.
Ricardo Roman had a huge game to lead Hanna over Porter. He was a force defensively, notching blocks and steals. Roman scored 13 points, leading the offensive production along with Jared Zarate, who knocked down three 3-pointers.
The Golden Eagles played fast and physical, using their size to control the boards and an aggressive defensive effort to keep Porter from finding a rhythm. Adriel Trevino was the engine for the Cowboys, scoring 14 points and competing on defense.
Port Isabel also defeated Jubilee on Thursday, leaning on its speed and athleticism to capture a 64-49 victory. The Tarpons turned in a 2-0 day with a 73-42 victory over Porter. Smith had a big game to anchor the Jubilee victory, knocking down five 3-pointers and scoring 21 points while being disruptive on defense and bringing down rebounds.
Hanna and Port Isabel have a 12:30 p.m. tipoff today at Hanna’s main gym for the top spot in Pool A.
The Brownsville Rivera Raiders defeated Mission Veterans Memorial 57-38, ending the day 2-0 after a 48-46 victory over Edinburg Economedes.
Rivera jumped out to a 20-0 lead behind a stifling defense. The Raiders used a full-court press that gave Mission Veterans fits, leading to violations and turnovers during the first half. Daniel Morales spearheaded the aggressive attack.
Alek Guzman (13 points), Ramsey Rocha (10 points) and Irineo Acevedo (nine points) played well on both ends of the court to aid Rivera’s win. With a commanding lead after the first quarter, the Raiders used a variety of bench players for long stretches. Rafael Smith turned in a solid performance off the bench, scoring six points and playing tough on defense.
Brownsville Pace and Brownsville St. Joseph also picked up a pair of wins Thursday. The Pace Vikings defeated San Benito 66-31, then took down North Mission IDEA 75-48. Brownsville St. Joseph beat North Mission IDEA 75-55 and San Benito 66-45. Pace and the Bloodhounds will face off for Pool C’s No. 1 seed at 12:30 p.m. today at Pace in a battle of two of the East Valley’s top teams.