Photos: Juan Navarro leads Laredo LBJ boys basketball to big win over Laredo Alexander
LAREDO, Texas - The Laredo LBJ boys basketball team broke away from Laredo Alexander early on and never looked back as the Wolves picked up a key 68-60 victory Thursday night in the District 30-6A race.
“Tonight’s win over Alexander is a big win for us because it puts us at 2-2 in district and right in the mix of a very competitive district race,” Laredo LBJ head coach Jose Luis Ojeda said. “The win gives our guys confidence in what we can do when we play four quarters.”
The tandem of Juan Navarro and Diego Benavidez caused havoc on offense for Laredo LBJ as each scored in double digits. Navarro led the scoring attack, burning the nets with 27 points while Benavides added 17 points, dominating Laredo Alexander in the paint.
Navarro had a keen sense when to attack the basket, dish the ball off or pull up for a three-pointer to keep the Bulldogs off balance. Benavides along with Roger Leyendecker controlled the paint and were the duo Navarro and Mikey Leija looked for when driving through traffic.
Laredo LBJ (19-9) was able to build a 13-8 led at the end of the first quarter and had the same energy the remainder of the game. Galex Mata opened the second quarter with a long three-pointer followed by a layup by Jorge Cazares as Laredo LBJ took a 10-point lead.
Laredo Alexander turned to their scoring threat Nick Ordonez, who delivered with 27 points on the night. Just as it looked like Laredo LBJ was going to break away, Ordonez took over in the final two minutes, scoring eight points to make to make it a 32-22 ball game heading into halftime.
In the first half Ordonez went off for 13 points but he was held to five points in the third quarter with Leija locking him up on defense. Ordonez was forced to pass the ball or take forced shots that did not fall in his favor.
The Wolves opened the second half with a six-point run to build a 38-25 lead before Laredo Alexander countered with a seven point run to close the gap at 38-29 with 2:58 left in the quarter. Navarro came down the court and nailed a three-pointer followed by a hard layup by Benavidez to extend Laredo LBJ's lead to 43-29.
In the final seconds of the third quarter, Ordonez stole the ball and hit a basket to make it 45-36 heading into the final frame.
The Bulldogs hit seven three-pointers in the final quarter to cut LBJ’s led to seven points. Edgar Zuniga, Ordonez, Emiliano Cruz and Adrian Orozco combined for Laredo Alexander’s triples. Just when Laredo LBJ looked to build a lead, Laredo Alexander came down and connected on a three-pointer to keep the game close.
Laredo LBJ was able to draw fouls but struggled converting in the fourth quarter, going 8-for-16 from the free throw line. They finished the game 16-for-33 from the line.
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