By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
On Friday, Feb. 21 the (17-13) Port Isabel Tarpons traveled up to Corpus Christi, Texas, where they faced off with the (25-11) Wharton Tigers in an Area round game. In the first round of the playoffs, Port Isabel beat Zapata 65-55, while Wharton
beat Sinton 62-61.
This season, the Port Isabel Tarpons squad has fielded a shorter starting lineup than in the past, leading them to struggle against teams with size. Unfortunately for the Tarpons, Wharton was led by center and primary scorer Jacoryan Dickerson, who at 6’-4” stood head and shoulders above the Tarpons. Undeterred, the feisty Tarpons, led by twins Cleveland and Christian Smith, were up to the challenge.
PI’s Ch. Smith opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, but the game soon took on a defensive tilt as both teams had blocked shots on the opposing team. At the three-minute mark, Cl. Smith stole the ball and drove it all the way back for the layup, forcing the Tigers’ coach to call a timeout as the Tarpons took an early 5-1 lead.
After the timeout, the Tiger’s gameplan was obvious, keep on feeding Dickerson the ball down in the paint for some easy baskets. The Tigers took their first lead midway into the quarter. The teams then went back and forth, with Wharton holding a 16-12 lead after one-quarter of play. Dickerson had a big quarter, leading all players with nine points and three blocks. His imposing presence seemed to affect some of the Tarpon players as they were hesitant to shoot the ball near him.
As the second quarter got underway, the Tigers continued their gameplan as Dickerson scored another basket at the start of the quarter. The Tarpons then started to aggressively swarm Dickerson, forcing him to miss his next four shot attempts.
Unfortunately, the Tarpons’ offense struggled too, as they only made 2-of-13 from the field during the quarter and trailed the Tigers 25-18 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Dickerson’s rebounding led to the Tigers scoring on second-chance buckets, as Wharton now led 33-23 midway into the quarter. After returning from a timeout, the Tarpons clawed their way back into the game as the Smith twins led the Tarpons on a 9-2 run and now trailed 37-34 at the end of the quarter.
As the fourth quarter got underway, PI’s Eli Alvarez hit a 3-pointer to tie the game up at 37-37. Halfway into the final quarter, Alvarez found Shiloh Galvan open for the 3-pointer. Tarpon fans erupted in cheers as Port Isabel took a 46-45 lead.
With under three minutes to go and the game tied at 49-49, the Tarpons’ offense played keep away to run the clock down, but eventually turned the ball over. The Tigers get fouled and headed to the free throw line with the Tarpons over the foul limit.
Galvan hit his free throws as the Tarpons now trailed 53-51 with one minute left in the game. Unfortunately, the Tarpons committed a few turnovers at the end and the Tigers took the game, 57-51.
Upon reflecting on the season, Port Isabel head coach Gilbert Rodriguez was pleased with his team’s performance, especially considering what they have accomplished as a fairly young team.
“Overall, it was a great season for our boys. We scheduled games against Rio Grande City, Weslaco East, Harlingen High, Los Fresnos and also faced Brownsville Hanna. All of them were District or Bi-District Champions in their 6A and 5A divisions. We knew it would be a challenge, but it made us grow up as team and enabled us to have success down the stretch,” said Rodriguez. “We were very proud of our boys for the fight they put up vs Wharton and just a few possessions were the difference in the game. Our team consists of six sophomores, one junior and three seniors. Everyone on the team was a key contributor all season long. We would like to thank our parents, community and administration for their continuous
support.”
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