By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
It took an extra 10 days, but Del Rio has its first district win of the boys basketball season.
Friday afternoon the Rams and Laredo United Longhorns met in Del Rio’s district opener that was originally set for Dec. 21 in Laredo but was postponed due to COVID concerns. The wait was worth it as Del Rio opened district play with a 76-59 win over the Longhorns.
Things didn’t start the way Del Rio would have liked as starters Alessandro Elizondo and Nick Rivera were sent to the bench in the first quarter with early foul trouble. Rivera had two fouls in the first quarter, but returned at the start of the second quarter and would pick up just one more foul for the game.
Elizondo’s wait to return was longer. He was whistled for three fouls in a two-minute span in the first quarter and would not return to the game until the third quarter.
But in their absence, Del Rio got a spark from bench players Alan Dobbins and Corbin Farrar. Dobbins grabbed four rebounds and came up with a steal that led to a layup as he helped the Rams take a 19-8 lead in the first quarter.
Farrar was also a playmaker, finding Elizondo for a 3-pointer before the freshman headed to the bench with foul trouble.
Rivera’s return helped Del Rio control the second quarter. The Rams attacked the basket often, earning a pair of and-1’s by J.J. Cervantes and Rivera. Both players converted the scoring chances as Del Rio missed only one of eight free throw attempts in the second quarter.
The Rams’ hustle was evident throughout the team. Jorge Rubio missed a shot in close, but the post player grabbed the rebound and went back up to score and help Del Rio take a 34-17 lead.
United would score six points down the stretch and went into halftime down, 36-23.
The third quarter was a struggle for the Rams offensively. Despite getting to the basket, the Rams’ could not score from the field for the first half of the third quarter.
Del Rio didn’t score its first basket until William Profitt hit a 3-pointer with 3:32 left in the third.
United was having the same issues, scoring just 10 points in the third as Del Rio extended its lead to 51-33 headed into the fourth.
Rivera took over in the fourth. He scored 11 in the quarter, including converting a tough and-1 that sent him crashing to the floor.
Del Rio was in sync throughout the final period. In one stretch, Proffit was able to come away with a steal and raced for what looked like an uncontested layup, but he appeared to lose control on his way up. Instead of putting up a wild shot, he left the ball behind him to a wide-open Jorge Rubio who converted the easy shot.
Rivera finished with a game-high 30 points. Elizondo and Profitt each scored 11 points while Cervantes had 10 points before fouling out in the fourth. Dobbins had seven points, Rubio had four points, Joel Dominguez had two points, and Joe Villarreal had one point.
Diego Saldaña led United with 29 points while Ramon Chavez added 11 before fouling out.
Del Rio’s next home game will be Tuesday, Jan. 4, when they host the Laredo Nixon Mustangs at 6 p.m. at the Carl P. Guys Memorial Gymnasium.
—
Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
