Basketball Recap: Tatiana Mercado Key Part of a Team Effort in Chargers Win

Veterans Memorial won against Los Fresnos last Tuesday with 50 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. The Veterans Memorial Chargers strolled past the San Benito Greyhounds with points to spare, taking the game 50-31. Given the Chargers' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 181st, while the Greyhounds are ranked 403rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Tatiana Mercado

Steals

01/31/25 vs San Benito	4
01/28/25 @ Los Fresnos	3
01/24/25 vs Hanna	3
01/22/25 @ Harlingen	3
01/14/25 @ San Benito	5
+ 36 more games

Veterans Memorial's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Tatiana Mercado, who went 5 of 11 on her way to 11 points and four steals. Mercado is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 41 games she's played dating back to last season. Brianna Barnes was another key player, putting up 14 points.

Veterans Memorial smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in four consecutive matches.

Several Greyhounds players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Valerie Vela, who posted eight points and eight boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Kayla Rodriguez, who scored three points along with six rebounds and three steals.

Veterans Memorial has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 30-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.0 points over those games. As for San Benito, their record now sits at 21-12.

Veterans Memorial does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for San Benito, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 42-27 loss against Harlingen on the 4th.