By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
This past Tuesday, Jan. 7, the Port Isabel [PI] Tarpons hosted the STX McAllen Saints in a non-district matchup. The Saints entered the second matchup with a 12-11 record while the Tarpons were sporting a 9-9
overall record.
This was the first year, but the second time the teams have met. The Tarpons won the first game 64-61 back in December and this second showdown was just as competitive.
After a couple of missed shots early in the game by both teams, the Saints finally got the scoring going with a three-pointer. The Tarpons answered right back with a three-pointer of their own by Grayson Estes, as
the teams started to find their shots. With a couple of seconds to go in the first, PI’s Cleveland Smith passed the ball to Marcos Baldovinos in the paint who proceeded to make the layup, giving the Tarpons a 13-10
lead after one-quarter of play.
The second quarter saw more stellar passing as PI’s Shiloh Galvan inbounded a pass to Christian Smith who then swished a three-pointer, which gave PI a 20-15 lead with 3:25 left on the clock. As the quarter was
winding down, Cl. Smith inbounded the ball to his twin Ch. Smith, who was streaking down to the other side of the court. A successful layup by Ch. Smith gave PI a 34-20 lead at halftime.
The Tarpons got off to a good start in the third period as they jumped out to a 45-26 lead behind a couple of three-pointers. Meanwhile, the Saints struggled against PI’s defensive pressure making only one field goal
midway into the quarter. The scoring slowed down a bit the rest of the quarter as PI headed into the final stanza with a 53-32 lead.
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