Flour Bluff girls, Veterans Memorial boys clinch District 29-5A South Zone titles
The rivalry between Veterans Memorial and Flour Bluff was on full display during Tuesday's District 29-5A South Zone games at Veterans Memorial High School.
It was the second meeting in nearly two weeks between the two Class 5A powerhouses with both games resulting in a playoff-like atmosphere with nearly every seat in attendance accounted for.
Just like the first meeting on Jan. 13, it was the Flour Bluff girls who were victorious with a 57-36 win, followed by a Veterans Memorial boys' 59-56 victory in the nightcap.
The Flour Bluff girls (28-5, 8-0) finished with seven 3-pointers and led by as many as 22 points with Maggie Croft scoring a game-best 19 points to help the Hornets clinch the South Zone title.
Maddie Robinson added 11 points for Flour Bluff, including two three-pointers in the opening minutes to shift the momentum early.
“Even before I was a freshman, this team was always about winning district titles,” Croft said. “Now we’re one step away from reaching our goal. Working hard in practice and staying disciplined has really helped us stay ready.”
The Flour Bluff girls will play North Zone champion Victoria East for the District 29-5A championship on Tuesday with a time and location to be announced at a later date.
Flour Bluff coach James McMinn said the two teams will flip for a home/neutral location. If East wins the flip, the game will be played at the VISD District Event Center in Victoria. If Flour Bluff wins the toss, the game will be at a high school gymnasium in Corpus Christi.
“It’s important that we get the No. 1 spot," McMinn said. "We talked to the girls about taking on a nine-game winning streak. Our focus is nine games. From then on (after the district championship game) it’s one and done.”
Deshyria Brown and Mia De La Pena combined for 26 points to lead Veterans Memorial, which clinched second place in the South Zone standings.
The Eagles (15-17, 6-2) will have a crossover game against Miller on Tuesday for a chance to finish second in District 29-5A and begin the playoffs as the No. 2 seed.
"This team gets along very well," Croft said. "We’ve been on the court together for long and it’s helped us with our chemistry. We have to continue working hard, getting better and staying disciplined. That will help us get where we need to be."
Veterans Memorial boys overcome deficit to clinch South Zone
The Veterans Memorial boys overcame a 15-point deficit to reclaim the South Zone title and remain unbeaten in District 29-5A play.
CJ Perry sparked the Eagles' (21-8, 7-0) comeback by tying the game at 51 with 5:17 left in the fourth quarter and giving Veterans Memorial its first lead on the team's next possession.
Perry scored seven of his 11 points in the second half with Sean Mondragon finishing with a game-best 18 points in the victory. Billy White III added 12 points and CJ Vela scored 11 for the Eagles, who have won seven consecutive games and wrap up the regular season on Friday against Moody.
"I just thought to myself, 'I have to play hard,'" Perry said of the Eagles comeback. "I knew if I played hard, it will bring the energy up and everybody was playing hard. Our mindset is set on state right now and we want to make it to the state championship. We're going to get there by playing hard and staying together."
James Sakalas led a balanced Flour Bluff (22-9, 4-2) offense by scoring a team-best 14 points.
Carter Knoll added 13 and Matthew Rooplall added 12 for the Hornets, who secured the No. 2 spot in the South Zone.
"I felt like we just needed to battle," Veterans Memorial coach Billy White Jr. said of the team's comeback victory. "We have to continue to battle and continue to fight. Sometimes games are going to be ugly and we have to be able to win in a lot of different ways. We showed we could do that tonight. It's the second time we played them, second time we've been down at the half and we knew we had to continue to battle."
More: Coastal Bend high school basketball schedules, scores Jan. 29-Feb. 2
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Flour Bluff girls run to victory, Veterans Memorial boys earn comeback win
