Veterans Memorial dominates McAllen Memorial to advance to regional quarterfinals
Veterans Memorial once again stuck to its style of basketball and made quick work of another playoff opponent.
The Eagles jumped out to a 12-0 lead and led by as many as 32 points to cruise to a 69-39 Class 5A area round win against McAllen Memorial on Thursday at the Ray High School Gymnasium.
Veterans Memorial (28-9) was locked in from the opening tip by scoring from beyond the arc, in the paint and took advantage of second-chance points to pull away early.
The Eagles also went to work defensively by limiting McAllen Memorial to 18 first half points and five in the fourth quarter.
Adelynn Lopez led the Eagles with 13 points, followed by Ella Ortiz, who was 4 of 5 from 3-point territory to finish with 12.
Veterans Memorial advances back to the regional quarterfinals for the seventh consecutive season to play either Laredo Cigarroa or McAllen Rowe with a time, date and location to be announced at a later date.
Thursday's highlights
The District 29-5A champion Eagles didn't miss a beat in the program's seventh consecutive appearance in the second round of the playoffs. Veterans Memorial opened the game by hitting its first six baskets and outscored the Mustangs 42-18 in the first half before claiming their fourth largest victory of the season. The Eagles took advantage of McAllen Memorial turnovers and second-chance points to create separation early. The shooting of Ella Ortiz, Deshyria Brown, Mia De La Pena and Tatiana Mosley in the first half was also important in Veterans Memorial grabbing some early momentum. Adelynn Lopez scored scored nine of her 13 points in the second half to lead the Eagles.
Thursday's stars
Lopez led the Eagles with a game-best 13 points and Ortiz connected on four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points. Mosley scored 11 and Brown and De La Pena each added 10 to pace the offense. Ivory Gutierrez led the Mustangs with a team-best 12 points, which included four 3-pointers.
What the coaches said
Veterans Memorial head coach Roy De La Pena on the Eagles' fast start: "It was really good basketball. I think we did a really good job on the boards, our guards came out shooting and we had a mixture of everything. We had great post play, great guard play... It was a nice win. Now we have to keep the momentum going."
What the players said
Vets senior Ella Ortiz on advancing to the regional quarterfinals: "This is my first time actually going to the playoffs so it means a lot to go past the first round. I'm really enjoying it and I'm having a lot of fun with my team."
Vets junior Deshyria Brown on what worked for the Eagles against McAllen Memorial: "We just played how we normally play, which is our style and our pace. We had good looks, good rebounds and took good shots. It took a lot of hard work, practice, sweat. We have to play at the same pace and keep the energy going."
Up next
Veterans Memorial vs. Laredo Cigarroa or McAllen Rowe in a Class 5A regional quarterfinal matchup.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Veterans Memorial makes quick work of McAllen Memorial to advance
