(Courtesy photo)
CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
This past Wednesday, December 27-28, the Port Isabel Tarpons were on the road this Christmas break to compete in the Falfurrias Holiday Tournament.
The Tarpons got off to a good start on day one of the tournament as they picked up two wins by defeating George West 76-42 and Harmony SE 61-33. On day two, the Tarpons beat Alice 48-45 in the semifinals to earn a trip to the Championship game, where they faced the (14-1) Falfurrias Jerseys.
PI’s Cleveland Smith opened the Championship game with a 3-point bucket as the Tarpons struck first. The Jerseys responded with a three of their own plus the foul to take an early 4-3. The teams went back and forth, exchanging leads as both offenses looked sharp, moving the ball around. The Tarpons closed out the first quarter with a narrow 25-23 lead.
Early in the second quarter, PI’s Shaun Moore came up big in the paint by making the Tarpons’ first three baskets of the quarter as Port Isabel led 31-27. The game slowed down a bit as both teams went to the line to shoot free throws. With 15 seconds left in the half, PI’s Aiden Sanchez made back-to-back buckets to give
PI a 44-36 lead. Unfortunately, the Jerseys made a last-second 3-pointer to close the gap to 44-39.
The third quarter saw a series of momentum swings as both teams went on small runs. Every time the Jerseys came close to tying the game, the Tarpons would go on a run. With less than two minutes to go in the quarter Cl. Smith outjumped his man to steal an inbound pass, he then made his way to the basket for the easy layup as the Tarpons took a 58-50 lead. The resilient Jerseys made two quick baskets at the end of the quarter, but the Tarpons still hung onto a 60-54 lead.
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