Basketball Recap: Make It Eight in a Row for Vela

Vela came tearing into Tuesday's contest with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 32.9 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 48-40 victory over the Pioneer Diamondbacks. The Sabercats have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Diamondbacks, too.

Vela had a senior duo take command as Gg Betancourt posted 20 points and three steals and Ava Tovar dropped a double-double on 14 points and 14 boards. The game was Betancourt's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Savanah Rivera, who earned seven points and six rebounds.

Sabercats

Previous Games

12/03/24 @ Pioneer	48-40
11/26/24 @ Donna	88-29
11/25/24 vs Pharr-San Juan-Alamo	63-19
11/23/24 @ Tuloso-Midway	53-32
11/23/24 vs Ingleside	70-32
+ 3 more games

Vela smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 23 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Pioneer lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Ebonie Chatman, who went 10 of 18 on her way to 26 points and three blocks. Chatman is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last six games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Anika Fleischmann, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.

Vela pushed their record up to 14-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.8 points per game. As for Pioneer, their record now sits at 11-9.

Coincidentally, Vela and Pioneer will both be playing Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial the next time they take the court. Pioneer will head out to face Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, while Vela will host them at 7:30 p.m. on December 10th.