'We came together as a team': Veterans Memorial holds off Gregory-Portland to win district title

Veterans Memorial sophomore Billy White III still remembers the sting of coming up short in last year's district championship game against Miller, which was exactly one year to the date of Tuesday's District 29-5A title game against Gregory-Portland.

The feeling of watching the opposition celebrate was more than enough motivation to help the Eagles finish the job this go-round and White III delivered by scoring a game-best 25 points, including five three-pointers, to lift Veterans Memorial to a 71-67 win.

"Last year we had that bittersweet taste and it stung us going into the playoffs," White III said. "We knew we if we got this win, it would give us momentum going into the playoffs and ultimately going to state."

It was the first meeting between the two schools since the 2022 season and the atmosphere as Ray High School had every feel to a district championship matchup.

With all available seats accounted for, the stars on each team went to work with Trevor Jones setting the tone for the Wildcats with 21 first half points and White III scoring 11 first quarter points to give the Eagles some early momentum.

Jones ended his night with a team-best 23 points and Sean Mondragon added 13 for Veterans Memorial, which enters the playoffs with a 24-8 record and a 10-game winning steak.

"Coming up short last year was nothing but motivation for us," Mondragon said. "The work that these guys put in is really amazing. We come together as a team, we work hard and we win games."

The win secured the Eagles' second district championship in three years and fourth in school history.

Veterans Memorial will play LaJoya Palmview in the bi-district round with a time, date and location to be announced at a later date.

"It's something that's been on our mind for a year now," Veterans Memorial coach Billy White Jr. said. "Our main goal is to try and make it to San Antonio but this is a great accomplishment that we didn't want to slip away this year like it did last year. Our kids came in, battled and listed to what we were trying to say all week.

"The hardest thing about this game was the week leading up to it," White Jr. added. "We had a long week and it was great to go against someone else. I thought our kids executed and made plays when they had to make plays. G-P is a great team and is coached very well."

It was a back-n-forth affair with the Eagles leading by as many as eight points. The game came down to the wire with G-P taking a two-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles outscored the Wildcats 12-4 in the final period to secure the win.

CJ Vela and Joaquin Trevino combined for 17 points to pace Veterans Memorial and Russell Escamilla turned in a strong defensive effort to go with 16 points for Gregory-Portland. Shawn Williams added 13 of his 18 points in the second half for the Wildcats, who will play Rio Grande City next week in the bi-district round.

"It's a tough loss," Gregory-Portland coach Sean Armstrong said. "Vets is a great team and coach White Jr. did a great job with them. Our kids fought back with Trevor, Russell, who played great in the first half. They made plays down the stretch against us and that's probably the best basketball team we've played all year, them and Boerne Champion. Our kids fought down eight, made a comeback aand they overcame adversity. Of course we want to win, but hats off to Vets."

More: Boys regular season high school basketball schedules, scores Feb. 12-Feb.16

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Veterans Memorial holds off G-P to win second district title in three years