Photos: Juan Navarro sinks clutch free throws to lift Laredo LBJ to 49-48 win over Laredo United South
LAREDO, Texas - Juan Navarro sank two free throws with 9.9 seconds left to lift Laredo LBJ over Laredo United South 49-48 in a key District 30-6A game Saturday evening.
The Wolves were coming off a tough loss to Laredo Alexander on Friday and desperately needed a victory to stay in the playoff hunt as they head into the final stretch of the regular season.
“I am very proud of our boys after being off for 13 days,” Laredo LBJ head coach Jose Luis Ojeda said. “(Friday) against (Laredo) Alexander we were a bit rusty. Today we played without any rust, and we were up. We overcome adversity throughout the game. We were up and then we were down, but we pulled it out. I am very proud of my boys for always sticking together.”
Laredo LBJ (20-10, 3-4) was able to build six-point lead late in the fourth quarter after being down 38-35 to open the final frame. Galexandro Mata hit a layup at the 6:45 mark to help spark an 8-0 run and push the Wolves ahead 43-38 with 4:01 left in the game.
During that span Devin Benavides hit a free throw followed by a triple by Roger Leyendecker and Mata went on to hit a field goal. Leyendecker finished with 15 points, including four 3-pointers.
Laredo United South’s Oscar Medrano was sent to the free throw line after Mata fouled him in the paint with less than four minutes to play. It also marked Mata’s fifth foul of the game. Medrano only managed to make the first free throw as the Wolves held a 43-39 edge with 3:52 to play.
Jorge Casarez was able to extend Laredo LBJ’s lead to six points with a hard layup with 3:21 left. The Wolves started to protect their lead and slow down the game, only to have Laredo United South create a barrage of turnovers.
The Panthers Jacob Trevino came flying down the floor for a layup and was fouled in the process. He missed the free throw and Laredo LBJ’s lead was trimmed to 45-41 with 3:02 left.
Laredo LBJ went 4-for-4 from the free throw line the rest of the way - with all four free throws coming from Navarro, who finished with 11 points. Navarro was fouled at the 2:42 mark and connected on both free throws to push the Wolves lead to 47-41.
Laredo United South struggled from the free throw line, but Rodrigo Lara made two free throws to cut LBJ's lead to 47-44 with 1:49 left.
Then Laredo United South’s Medrano grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to cut the lead to one point. Ray Trevino followed with a layup with 20 seconds left to give Laredo United South a 48-47 lead.
Navarro took the inbounds pass, raced down the court and attacked the basket. He drew a foul and hit the game-winning free throws with 9.9 seconds left.
The Panthers had a shot to win the game as Jacob Trevino found Joey Rodriguez for a 3-pointer, but it bounced off the rim. Medrano and Laredo LBJ’s Diego Benavides battled for the rebound but it went out of bounds. It was determined that it came off Medrano’s hand giving Laredo LBJ the ball and the victory.
Laredo United South gets another crack at Laredo LBJ as the two teams meet again on Tuesday.
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