Veterans Memorial girls, boys sweep Flour Bluff in District 29-5A basketball doubleheader
The atmosphere of Friday's District 29-5A South Zone games between Veterans Memorial and Flour Bluff had a playoff feel to them, and for good reason.
All four squads were anxious to get a jump in the race for the district title after starting the night unbeaten in league play.
Both games were close throughout the first three quarters, but each ended with a Veterans Memorial second half surge that resulted in a doubleheader sweep by the Eagles.
The Vets girls won 55-47 and the Vets boys captured a 75-58 victory to remain unbeaten in their respective districts.
“We knew it was going to be a good crowd and we knew they were good," Vets point guard Mia De La Pena said. "They’re (Flour Bluff) well-coached, disciplined and we had to come out with no fear and play our game. Everybody on our team gave 110%."
The Eagles (21-8, 4-0) got the early jump by taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Flour Bluff, which began the night ranked No. 10 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 5A girls poll, answered behind Maggie Croft and Nevaeh Gray, who helped tie the game. Croft completed the early comeback by connecting on a 3-pointer to give Flour Bluff a 12-9 advantage.
Vets answered the run with its defense and the scoring of Adelynn Perez. Perez paced the Eagles with eight first half points to keep the Hornets' second quarter run at bay, and Ella Ortiz beat the second quarter buzzer to give Vets a 28-25 halftime edge.
The Hornets (25-4, 3-1) opened the third quarter on a 5-0 run and took the lead to start the fourth.
But just like the second quarter, the Eagles used their defense to climb back in the game, and outscored Flour Bluff 16-6 in the final period to secure the win. Ella Ortiz added 13 points and De La Pena finished with 11 to pace the Eagles.
“I just knew I had to help my team," said Perez, who scored a game-best 18 points. "We had to run stuff smoothly and get shots off. We work together as a team, and that’s how we got the lead. We never gave up.
"It boosts our confidence, but we still have to work on a lot of stuff because we have to play them again.”
Vets continues district play against Moody on Tuesday and the Hornets take on Carroll next Friday at home.
Both teams will meet again on Jan. 31 at Flour Bluff, which is the final day of the regular season.
"All the girls came out and did their part," Veterans Memorial girls coach Roy De La Pena said. "We had a number of kids that kept us in the game. The ball just went our way and I'm proud of the girls. Everybody was doing what they're supposed to do."
Croft said the Hornets will learn from the loss and will look to capitalize on what went wrong when both teams meet again in three weeks.
"Every little thing from the game that was good, we're going to get better on and everything that was bad, we're going to improve for the next time we play," said Croft, who led Flour Bluff with 15 points. "I think the team we have won't take this as a loss overall, but to get better and increase our level of play."
On the boys side, Veterans Memorial's Sean Mandragon scored all of his nine points in the fourth quarter, but each basket made by the promising freshman was enough to throw the crowd into a frenzy.
Mandragon recorded back-to-back steals in a matter of seconds, which resulted in a slam dunk and a layup to put the finishing touches on the Eagles' 26-point fourth quarter.
"I got the steal and I had to come down," Mandragon said. "We needed that momentum and I got the dunk. I had to knock down the free throw and then another steal. Just again, hard work."
Billy White III led Vets with a game-best 26 points, including five 3-pointers. CJ Vela and Jordyn Heard each recorded 12 points to pace the offense.
Pete Herrick led the Flour Bluff with 14 points, followed by Lukas Drasutis, who scored 13.
"When we scheduled the games last year, we knew these were going to be big games for us," Vets coach Billy White Jr. said. "One of the things we did for our schedule was make sure we scheduled games that were playoff-type games early in the season so our guys can be ready for these type of situations. I was really proud of our guys for the way they came out tonight."
The turning point for Vets came in the third quarter when it used a 10-0 run to shift the momentum.
The Hornets, who kept the game close for more than three quarters, were unable to catch up after the Eagles used 3-point shooting, points in the paint and points off turnovers to take control.
"We had talked about the days leading up to the game that we have to a better job controlling the pace of the game," Flour Bluff coach Brandon Bourg said. "They obviously want to play and up and down... but no excuses. They played their style better today and credit to coach White. Those guys over there came prepared."
The Hornets will look to bounce back Tuesday against King on the road.
Herrick said the team will turn the page and look forward to their next meeting against Vets on Jan. 31 at home.
"I think we'll have a great chance playing them at home," Herrick said. "We just have to play our game, get stops and prevent turnovers and fouls."
The Eagles will try and keep their unbeaten district streak alive when they face Moody on Tuesday.
"We knew we had to handle Carroll first this week and then we were locked in for this game," said Vela, who finished with four 3-pointers for Vets. "We did everything we could to win. We came in with energy and got the job done."
Friday's top peformers
Boys
Lonnie Adkism, Miller: Scored 20 points in a district win against Victoria West.
Billy White III: Led the Eagles with 26 points in a district win against Flour Bluff.
Pete Herrick, Flour Bluff: Led the Hornets with 15 points against Veterans Memorial.
Drake Schulz, Ray: Scored 19 points in a district win against Victoria East.
Triston Handson, Sinton: Led the Pirates with 16 points in a district win against Orange Grove.
Bryce Burnett, Calallen: Scored 24 points to lead the Wildcats to a district win against Kingsville.
Logan Blankenship, Rockport-Fulton: Led the Pirates with 21 points in a district win against Ingleside.
Mason Trevino, Alice: Finished with 13 points in a district win against Robstown.
George Acosta, Aransas: Scored a game-best 23 points in a district win against Goliad.
R.J. Hinojosa, Skidmore-Tynan: Led the Bobcats with 10 points in a district win against Yorktown.
Matthew Cory, IWA: Finished with 21 points in a win against Boerne Geneva.
Caleb Riojas, Annapolis Christian Academy: Finished with a game-vest 22 points against Trinity.
Girls
Adelynn Lopez, Veterans Memorial: Scored 18 points in a district win against Flour Bluff.
Maggie Croft, Flour Bluff: Scored 15 points to lead the Hornets against Veterans Memorial.
Ja'Naisha Kelley, Carroll: Led the Tigers with 14 points in a district win against King.
Alaina Blanco, King: Scored 14 points against Carroll.
Shae Ruiz, Ingleside: Finished with a game-best 27 points in a district win against Rockport-Fulton.
Karlie Haigood, Calallen: Led the Wildcats with 13 points against Kingsville.
Mikaela Boyd, Kingsville: Scored a game-best 18 points in a district win against Calallen.
Kaylin Cervantes and Avielle Silva, Alice: Each scored 10 points against Robstown.
Hailey Eulenfeld and Abby Kotara, Orange Grove: Each finished with 16 points in a district win against Sinton.
Kayla Rivas, Sinton: Led the Pirates with 11 points against Orange Grove.
Logan Borchardt, Bishop: Led the Badgers with 20 points in a district win against Tuloso-Midway.
Jackie Garcia, Mathis: Led the Pirates with 22 points in a district win against Odem.
Angelina Zepeda, Aransas Pass: Scored 20 points in a win against Goliad.
Marly Sanchez and Emma Longoria, San Diego: Each delivered 13 points in a district win against Falfurrias.
Neddia Gonzales, Skidmore-Tynan: Led the Bobcats with 19 points in a district win against Yorktown.
Belen Garcia, Annapolis Christian Academy: Scored 13 points in a win against Lifegate.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Vets girls, boys sweep Flour Bluff in basketball doubleheader
