Raiders run the show against Mustangs in 31-5A matchup

PHARR — The Raiders over at PSJA North had three of their players enter double digits in points in their rout against the McAllen Memorial Mustangs on Tuesday. The Raiders won the district game, 66-42.

The dub now puts the Raiders at second in district 31-5A with a 9-3 record. They now improve to 23-10 overall on the season. The team they trail behind? The McHi Bulldogs, who are currently 33-0 on the season. For McAllen Memorial, they sit in fifth place in the district, with a 6-6 record. Overall, they stand at 16-14.

From the jump, the Raiders were red hot on the offensive side of things as senior captain Mason Lopez, Jalen Ramos and Matthew Archer combined for the team’s 17 out of 20 points in the first quarter.

The Mustangs endured a full court press for the entire game and in the first half, John Gonzalez had three buckets from beyond the arc to help keep the game close. The Raiders did a decent job at controlling the boards as some of their baskets were second-chance points. At the half, it was 30-21.

In the second half, the Raiders’ lead grew to 14 after Kai Howard and Archer got some quick back-to-back buckets in the paint. Archer, who is known for his defensive abilities, had a game high 17 points, along with Lopez.

Turnovers ailed the Mustangs as some easy buckets made the deficit to 18 which forced a timeout by McAllen Memorial with a score of 40-22.

At the end of three, it was 50-30. From then on, the Raiders didn’t look back once they got the commanding lead.

The Raiders will take on the undefeated McHi Bulldogs in McAllen on Friday. The Mustangs look to rebound against the Bulldogs on Tuesday as they have no remaining games scheduled this week.