Lobos and Lady Lobos sweep doubleheader
Nicole Flores, Lady Lobos #5, dribbles past her opponent and scores two points. Photo by Mario Magallon
Tuesday night saw Veterans Memorial High School host an exciting District 30-5A doubleheader between the Patriots and the Lobos, with both the boys’ and girls’ teams facing off in back-to-back games.
The Lady Lobos started strong and burst out with a commanding 16-1 lead in the first quarter. The senior duo of Nicole Flores and Mia Rojas set the tone early with their offensive abilities. Despite the slow start, the Lady Patriots clawed their way back into contention, fueled by the speed and sharp passing of Caylie Montalvo and Savanna Trevino. By the end of the first quarter, the score stood at 19-11 in favor of the Lobos, but a late run in the second quarter extended the Lobos’ halftime lead to 32-17.
: Lady Lobo #4, Alia Garza, get a shot past Lady Patriot #24, Briseida Chimely, scoring two points to help secure a win. Photo by: Mario Magallon
In the second half, the Lady Patriots came out determined, pushing the pace and battling hard. Despite that, the Lobos matched their intensity, with Rojas leading the charge to maintain the advantage. The Lady Lobos’ balanced offense and defensive hustle proved to be too much for the Patriots, resulting in a 59-26 victory.
The Patriots’ Isabella Carnizalez finished with a team-high eight points. Lixary Espinoza finished with six points. Caylie Montalvo finished with five points. Savanna Trevino finished with two points. Briella Reyna finished with two points.
The Lobos’ Nicole Flores finished with a game-high 24 points. Mia Rojas finished with 13 points. Alia Garza finished with ten points. Sophia Benitez finished with six points. Marina Rodriguez finished with three points.
After the game, Mia Rojas gave us some insight on the season, “There’s definitely a lot of new faces and I know the girls are young and we’ve had to lead them along the way, but they’re very coachable and they’re very easy to work with. We want to repeat what we did last year, so them being very coachable helps us do that.”
The Lady Patriots dropped to 0-4 in the District 30-5A while the Lobos advanced with a 3-0 record.
The boys’ game had a similar start, with the Lobos jumping out to an 18-3 lead early in the first quarter. Juan Dominguez and Antonio Suarez led the way for the Lobos surge. As was the case in the girls’ game, despite the rough start, the Patriots fought back with a three-point barrage from Devin Soliz and Aurelio Chavero, narrowing the deficit to 35-20 at halftime.
Aurelio Diaz, #30 of Palmview, and #2 of Veterans Memorial, Freddie Villarreal, chase a loose ball. Photo by Mario Magallon
Entering the second half, the Patriots remained determined to continue their comeback, showing resilience and fighting spirit despite the uphill battle. However the Lobos ramped up their defense, forcing critical turnovers and taking advantage of their opportunities to extend their lead. Lobos’ Jose Gonzalez and Damian Anaya took control in the third and fourth quarters, making key plays to secure the lead while the Lobos maintained their discipline and composure throughout the game. Despite the mounting deficit, the Patriots never stopped fighting and battling for every possession. Ultimately, the Lobos’ dominant performance sealed a decisive 78-37 victory.
The Patriots’ Devin Soliz finished with a team-high 18 points. Aurelio Chavero finished with nine points. Carlos Delgadillo finished with seven points. Uriel Espinosa finished with two points. Sebastian Solis finished with one point.
The Lobos’ Juan Dominguez finished with a game-high 20 points. Jose Gonzalez finished with 18 points. Damian Anaya finished with 12 points. Antonio Suarez finished with seven points. Dominic Ramirez finished with five points. Aurelio Diaz finished with four points. Jaziel Martinez finished with four points. Leo Rivero finished with three points. Fan favorite Hugo Flores finished with three points.
The Patriots dropped to 0-4 in District 30-5A while the Lobos remain undefeated with a 3-0 record.
After the game, Damian Anaya expressed the Lobos goals for the season, “Our biggest goal right now is to bring home a district title for our school. We’ve beaten some tough teams already. We want to be the first seed, we want to make the playoffs, we want to make it past the first round. I think this is the year that we make it over the hump. We’re all dogs. Every day we go at it in practice. We all want this.”
With consecutive playoff appearances, the Lobos are striving for more. They’ve set their sights on a district championship.
Lobos’ head coach Albert Carrillo shared his thoughts on the team’s goals while emphasizing the importance of staying focused when he sad, “It’s early. We’re just starting and we’re trying to get rolling. We had some injuries in the pre-season and we’re finally getting everybody healthy. We still have a long way to go. We want to win all of the games ahead.”
Carrillo continued, “I have a senior ball club this season so what we’re trying to do is to win a district championship. We’ve been trying for the last couple of years and we haven’t got it done. We feel with this year there’s a good chance, just like we’ve had in the past. We’ve had a good start so far and we have to continue, but it’s one game at a time. It’s a long season and we have to stay healthy.”
Juan Dominguez, #15 of Palmview, blocks a shot by Uriel Espinosa, #5 of Veterans Memorial. Photo by Mario Magallon
The Lobos play in one of the toughest districts in the region, featuring reigning district champions Martin Tigers as well as the Nixon Mustangs, Cigarroa Toros, Roma Gladiators, Rio Grande City Rattlers, Mission Eagles, Veterans Memorial Patriots, and Juarez-Lincoln Huskies.
After finishing fourth last season, the Lobos are determined to rise to the top this year, starting strong with an undefeated 3-0 district record helps. Their journey to a championship is far from over, but they’ve laid the groundwork for a promising season.