Raiders win in commanding fashion against Brownsville Vets

PHARR — The PSJA North Raiders made themselves at home in Tuesday's non-district matchup against the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers. The home squad took the win, 59-37.

The Raiders started off firing on all cylinders as they built themselves a 7-0 lead within the first three minutes of the game.

PSJA North really put emphasis on the defensive side of things, as they stuck to a full court man-to-man defense for the majority of the game. The Chargers had tremendous difficulty finding the groove in things as their guards usually had a defender in their face every trip down court.

Mason Lopez had a game high 24 points— with a commanding 10 points in the first quarter. He also knocked down four 3-pointers to help build the lead, especially the corner one he knocked down before the end of the first quarter to give the Raiders a 19-9 lead.

The Chargers had trouble getting the lead to diminish; the Raiders didn't trail once throughout the contest.

For the Raiders, the defensive effort by Isaiah Garza helped capitalize offensive sparks for the home squad as passes were either picked off or a forced shot was taken by the Chargers — leading to a fast break layup or another possession.

Garza had 16 points on the night, followed by Matthew Archer with 9 and Kai Howard with 6.

The Raiders will be in tournament play this upcoming weekend against Santa Rosa. For the Chargers, they will also be in tournament play against IDEA Edinburg in a tournament.