Basketball Recap: Tatiana Mercado and Brianna Barnes Secure Win for Veterans Memorial

Veterans Memorial won the last time they faced Los Fresnos and things went their way on Tuesday too. The Veterans Memorial Chargers strolled past the Los Fresnos Falcons with points to spare, taking the game 50-35. Given the Chargers' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 184th, while the Falcons are ranked 676th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Leading Veterans Memorial to victory were Brianna Barnes and Tatiana Mercado. Barnes posted 14 points in addition to eight boards and six assists, while Mercado went 6 of 10 on her way to 14 points and three steals. Mercado is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 40 games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Alondra Ruiz, who scored four points and six rebounds.

Veterans Memorial smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in eight consecutive games.

Veterans Memorial is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 29-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.7 points per game. As for Los Fresnos, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 14-16.

Veterans Memorial will challenge San Benito at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Los Fresnos, they will take on Harlingen at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Harlingen will roll in looking for their eighth straight win, something Los Fresnos surely won't give up without a fight.