By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Port Isabel [PI] Tarpons hosted the Brownsville Lopez Lobos in a non-district matchup. The Tarpons’ basketball team was still missing 10 players concentrating on their area round football game, but the players who did show were making their case to secure a position on the varsity squad.
Port Isabel entered the game after losing their first two, but have been making strides on the offensive side of the ball, seemingly stemming from them gaining confidence in their play.
The Lobos got on the scoreboard first, but the Tarpons responded with a basket by Shiloh Galvan (24 points, five rebounds, three steals, block). After Lopez made a three-pointer, Galvan responded by hitting a three-
pointer of his own as the Tarpons took a 6-5 lead.
Both teams’ defenses were playing tight, which led to several blocks and steals as the first quarter ended with the Lobos leading the Tarpons 11-8.
As the second quarter got underway, the Tarpons started to struggle with passing the ball, leading to more turnovers. Then, when they got an opportunity to shoot the ball, it would not go in. Meanwhile, Lopez built a
significant lead.
Port Isabel’s Joaquin Leon (Six points, nine rebounds, two steals) finally broke the Tarpons’ scoring drought with a basket while there were three and a half minutes left in the first half, with PI trailing 23-10. There
was good defensive play by PI’s Leon and Marcos Baldovinos (six rebounds, three steals, block).
Port Isabel’s Galvan had another three-pointer while Leon added two more baskets before going into halftime, down 31-17.
Both teams got off to a slow start in the second half. Lopez found its rhythm again as they jumped out to 44-22 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Lopez utilized its deeper bench in the second half as the Lobos started to extend their lead in the fourth quarter, ultimately sealing the 61-41 win.
Although the Tarpons passes were much crisper than in previous games, they still need to work on their accuracy.
The Tarpons will have a tough matchup coming up as they go on the road to take on the 6A Harlingen Cardinals on Tuesday, Dec. 3. The Tarpons will get a significant boost with the Smith twins coming back.