By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
This past Friday, January 19, the Port Isabel Tarpons hosted the Jubilee Brownsville Titans in a home district game. Entering the game, Jubilee was coming off a 57-50 win over La Grulla, while the Tarpons had a big win over Brownsville Harmony, 70-30.
It was a rough start by the Tarpons, as they saw themselves trailing 11-2 midway into the first quarter after making 2-out-7 shots. PI’s Christian Smith made a key 3-pointer which kickstarted a 11-2 run by the Tarpons as they tied the game up at 13-13. With the Tarpons over the foul limit, the Titans closed out the quarter making 4-out-6 from the foul line and regained the lead, 19-15.
As the second quarter got underway, PI’s Aiden Sanchez grabbed a defensive rebound and dribbled down the court for the layup and the foul. Both teams started to struggle with their shots for quite some time. PI didn’t score another basket until Cleveland Smith hit a 3-pointer with three and a half minutes left in the quarter as the Tarpons took their first lead of the game, 23-21. The teams found their stroke and the shots began to fall. The teams exchanged leads until the halftime buzzer went off with the Titans regaining the lead, 31-30.
The offenses were clicking in the third quarter as the team’s went back and forth. After being tied at 42-42, the Tarpons hit two 3-point shots in the last two minutes of the quarter as they headed into the final stanza with a 48-42 lead.
As the fourth quarter got underway, the Tarpons continued their offensive prowess as they jumped out to a 54-43 lead, forcing the Titans to call a timeout. Jubilee refused to give up and came within three points in the final minutes, but the Tarpons held on and prevailed, winning the game 63-57.
The top players for the Tarpons were: Sanchez logged in 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals; Cl. Smith registered 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists; Ch. Smith had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist.
The Titans led by Freshmen Nick Zarate (6’-5”, shooting guard) and Deron Holland (6’-0”, point guard) gave PI all they could handle, they finished the night scoring 20 and 19 points respectively. It should be another good game when they meet again on February 12, when both teams play in their last regular season game.
PI head coach, Gilbert Rodriguez was pleased his team was able to secure the win. Even though Port Isabel was projected to win the district, coach Rodriguez knows every team is gunning for the Tarpons. Rodriguez states, “I thought our experience was a great factor for us in finishing the game. We know everyone we play is going to give us their best shot no matter who we play.” and “Our boys know what’s at stake and they continue to learn and improve game to game.”
With the win, the Tarpons still remain undefeated in district play with an 7-0 record and extended their winning streak to 14 games. They’ll continue the second round of district games this Friday, January 26 at 8 p.m. as they travel to Raymondville to take on the Bearkats.
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