By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
The Pace Vikings were dialed in from downtown Tuesday.
During a District 32-5A contest with the Porter Cowboys (7-12, 1-1 in district), the Vikings (10-9, 2-0) shot 36 percent and scored 24 points from long range during a 55-37 blowout win at home.
The Vikings came out shooting early during the first quarter, hitting three of their first five shots, including two from 3-point range.
Following a four-point stretch by the Cowboys, Pace hit its next three shots, two of which were from behind the arc.
Taking a 17-10 lead into the second quarter, Andres Salgado of Pace hit his third 3 of the game during the opening seconds, and the hot shooting continued as the Vikings took a 28-14 lead into halftime.
“Coming off that Christmas break, you never know if the ball movement is going to be there,” Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez said. “We worked a lot on it and talked about it more than anything else.
“Porter is a great team, they’re well-coached. I was nervous if we were going to be able to move the ball well because they’re so good the way the cover the zone.”
The Cowboys attempted to mount a comeback during the third quarter. Pace’s shooting cooled marginally, and Eli Martinez took advantage of opportunities, scoring each of Porter’s nine points of the third.
Porter cut its deficit to 11 points, but periodic scoring by the Vikings including a 3 by Jose Salinas and a late basket by Victor Vilano with 18 seconds remaining extended their lead to 17.
“I don’t think we were ready to play today,” Porter coach Luis Garza said. “We came out flat. We didn’t move the ball very well. At times, we didn’t look like we knew what we were doing.
“(The solution) is going to have to come from within. They’re going to have to sit down and think about whether they want to play or not.”
The backup players from each team logged steady minutes during the fourth quarter. Each team scored 15 points during the final period.
“I know we can be better, and that’s our message tonight,” Ramirez said. “We need to rebound better. We need to look for gaps better. We can’t be one-dimensional.
“It’s a step in the right direction. We know it’s a long season.”
Martinez led all scorers with 15 points. Salgado followed with 11, and teammate Steven Garcia added nine.
Porter next plays host to Donna High at 6 p.m. Friday, and Pace next plays host to Edcouch-Elsa at 6 p.m. Jan. 12.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.