By Brian Argabright
What better way to head into district play than with a win.
The Del Rio Rams basketball team kicks off play in District 30-6A Friday night at home against the Laredo United Longhorns at 7 p.m.
Del Rio (5-4) started the week with an 87-79 win at Carrizo Springs on Monday. It was Del Rio’s third win in a row.
The Rams led after the first quarter and were up 36-33 at halftime. A solid third quarter helped up the lead, and the Rams held off a late charge from the Wildcats to pick up the win.
Nicolas Rivera led the team with 35 points despite scoring just two points in the first quarter. He was clutch in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points including going 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
J.J. Cervantes added 24 points and William Proffit had 15. Eli Webster added six points, Luis Arteaga had five points, and Jose Hernandez rounded out the scoring with two points.
December has been a busy month for the Rams as they’ve hit the heart of their season. Despite losing several players who opted out of the season for precautionary reasons due to the ongoing pandemic, the Rams have relied heavily on their more experienced plays, such as Arteaga and Cervantes. Webster’s improvement has been steady, and the solid play of Rivera and Proffit have given the coaches more weapons to work with.
The month started with a tough 77-72 loss to Brooks Academy in San Antonio on Dec. 1. Arteaga led the team with 26 points while Cervantes had 16 points and Rivera had 11. Proffit had eight points, Joel Dominguez had five points, Webster had four points, and Jorge Rubio added two points.
On Dec. 4, Del Rio defeated Southwest Legacy, 90-83. Five Rams scored in double digits including Cervantes, who led the team with 23 points. Arteaga had 21 points, Proffit had 18 points, and Rivera and Webster each had 11 points. Hernandez and Rubio rounded out the scoring with two points each.
After falling to Pleasanton, 89-67, the Rams bounced back to beat Uvalde, 79-68, on Dec. 8. Cervantes led Del Rio with 21 points. Arteaga had 17 points, Rivera added 15, Damian Espinoza and Proffit each had seven points, Webster had six, Rubio had four and Dominguez had two points.
Del Rio then ran Ft. Stockton out of the gym, 73-39 on Dec. 12. All but two Rams scored in the win. Cervantes led the team with 18 points, Rivera had 16 points, Rubio added 13 and Arteaga had 10. Proffit scored five points, Mikael Perez had three points, and Espinoza, Hernandez, Esteban Chapa and Webster each had two points.
