Basketball Game Preview: Vela Sabercats vs. Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North Raiders

Two dominant guards in Jordan Bustamante and Jalen Ramos are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Vela Sabercats will host the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Vela knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past ten contests -- so hopefully Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North likes a good challenge.

Vela is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Vela blew Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial out of the water with a 62-27 final score. The Sabercats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 13 matches by 21 points or more this season.

Vela's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Bustamante led the charge by dropping a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jp Olivarez, who went 5 of 11 en route to 11 points and four steals.

Vela smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North was able to grind out a solid victory over Pioneer on Tuesday, taking the game 71-63.

Vela is also on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 games, which provided a nice bump to their 26-4 record this season. As for Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North, the win got them back to even at 13-13.

Vela strolled past Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 by a score of 70-54. Will Vela repeat their success, or does Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.