WESLACO — McAllen Rowe entered its Region IV-5A area round matchup against Corpus Christi Veterans wanting to make a statement.
The Warriors’ statement was loud and clear, as they stormed past Corpus Christi Veterans 64-52 on Thursday at Weslaco High School to punch their ticket to the third round for the second consecutive season.
“I think our kids really came to play tonight. They were ready to perform and fired up to get this win,” Rowe head coach Jose Luis Yebra said. “They’ve been working hard, they wanted to prove something and I think they did today.”
The Warriors (23-5, 12-2) were in-sync on both ends of the floor early, building a 20-10 lead after the opening eight minutes. Sophomore point guard Darren Manriquez got things going for Rowe by attacking the basket and scoring six first-quarter points.
His early assertiveness forced Corpus Christi Veterans to focus their attention on him, which opened things up for the other Warriors.
“They just came in and did the job. We rebounded well, we shot the ball well, we got to the basket,” Yebra said. “We did a little bit of everything, but it was a team effort. They were focusing on Darren, but everybody else stepped up and got the job done.”
Forward Julian Avila hit a pair key 3-pointers for Rowe to keep momentum on their side during the first half. Avila and Patrick Tarbutton poured in 12 points apiece for the Warriors, while Emiliano Ramirez scored 14.
Junior post Elijah Alcantar anchored the Warriors’ defense all night by bothering shots with his length and crashing the boards, finishing with eight points and 12 rebounds.
“I just gave him a hug and told him he did a great job by rebounding, controlling the boards on the low block and playing tough defense down low. He blocked a few shots and he was a difference maker today and I want him to continue to play that way,” Yebra said.
Each time the Eagles attempted to close the gap during the fourth quarter, Rowe dashed their hopes by answering bucket for bucket.
Manriquez scored a game-high 15 points with four assists and three rebounds, while Avila finished with eight points and seven rebounds for Rowe.
The Warriors move on to the regional quarterfinals for the second straight year, but this time at the Class 5A level. They did so last year while competing in Class 6A, where they lost in the third round to Laredo United.
Next for Rowe is a Region IV-5A quarterfinal showdown against Victoria West (18-2, 14-2). The Victoria West Warriors beat Roma 93-39 in bi-district and Sharyland Pioneer 54-49 on Wednesday to advance to the third round. Game details have yet to be determined.
