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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Wednesday, February 13, 2002
Opening events held for new PHS tennis courts
Pecos High School's newly renovated tennis courts were formally dedicated
Tuesday afternoon, with a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a tennis carnival
for elementary and junior high school students.
"We had a good turnout. There were about 200 kids out there," said former
Pecos Eagles' tennis coach Bernadette Ornelas. "I think that was due to the
fact we had a lot more coordination with the parents than we've had in the
past."
The new courts are a concrete surface on top of the old courts, which
had developed numerous cracks over the years. The Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD
approved the renovation project last year at a cost of about $150,000, and
Trans-Texas Tennis completed work on the six courts last week.
"It's great seeing all these kids out here with their parents," said current
Eagles tennis coach Mike Ortiz, who cut the ribbon on the new courts Tuesday.
"I didn't know how this would come out, but it worked out real good and I'm
happy."
Ornelas said the tennis carnival was done in conjunction with the U.S.
Tennis Association, which has put on similar events in Pecos over the past
three years.
The first official matches on the courts will be this Friday, when the
Eagles host four other teams in their own tournament.
Wildcats grab early lead, clinch district title against Eagles
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
The Pecos Eagles had a little more success than in recent games against
the Fabens Wildcats on Tuesday night at the Pecos High School gym,
but the Eagles had a lot of catching up to do after a series of lopsided
losses to the Wildcats.
That meant Pecos stayed close to Fabens, but after falling behind by nine
points in the first period, the Eagles were never able to make up all of
that ground and ended up losing to Fabens, 63-50, as the Wildcats clinched
their second straight District 2-4A boys basketball title.
"They fought tooth and nail, but they made the plays to win the game and
we didn't," said Eagles' coach Tino Acosta, whose team had been beaten badly
by Fabens in recent years. "It just seemed like every time we'd make a run
they'd hit a big 3. They didn't hit as many as they did in the past, but
when they needed it, they got it."
Fabens had four 3-point baskets on Tuesday. Their first, by Abel Juarez,
put the Wildcats ahead to stay in the opening period, at 7-4. The second,
by Rigo Estrada, came late in the period, after Pecos had cut a 12-4 deficit
down to 14-10, while the third, by Tony Lechuga, came late in the second
quarter and helped the Wildcats take a 31-21 halftime lead.
Lechuga had Fabens' other 3-pointer, late in the third period, which gave
Fabens its biggest lead of the night, at 47-30. The Eagles would then whittle
that lead down to 10 points, at 51-41 midway through the final period off
a Jason Sanchez lay-up. But the Eagles missed chances from the foul line
to cut into Fabens lead even more, going 3-7 over a two minute stretch prior
to Sanchez' fast-break lay-up.
Estrada then found Jerry Verduzco alone underneath the basket for a lay-up
to make it 53-41, and after Isaiah Armendariz went 1-for-2 from the foul
line, Estrada was fouled and hit two free throws to make it 55-42. Joey Ortega
then hit a lay-up, and was fouled following a missed Wildcat shot at the
other end, but he failed to hit on both his free throws, and Stephen DeAnda
then connected twice from the line at the 2:03 mark to make it 57-44 and
for all intents put the game away.
Overall, Fabens went 13-for-16 from the foul line in the game, while the
Eagles were just 7-for-16 from the line, continuing their recent string of
sub-par foul shooting games. Meanwhile, Pecos managed just one 3-pointer
on the night, a jumper from the top of the key by Richard Rodriguez that
got the Eagles to within two points, at 21-19, early in the second period.
Rodriguez had nine points, all in the first half, while Ortega led the Eagles
in scoring with 11.
Estrada had 16 points and Juarez 13 for Fabens, which clinched the 2-4A
title and finished district play with a 9-1 mark. Pecos falls to 1-8 in district
and has one more game remaining on their regular season schedule, a make-up
game at home Thursday night against San Elizario.
San Eli downed Clint to move a half-game ahead of the Lions, who are now
tied for third with Canutillo, which defeated El Paso Mountain View on Tuesday.
A San Eli win would give them second place in the district standings, while
if Pecos wins then San Eli, Clint and Canutillo will have to set up a playoff
to decide the second and third place playoff berths.
FABENS (63)
Lechuga 2 1-2 7; Mesa 1 0-0 2; Verduzco 1 0-0 2; Juarez 6 0-0 13; Madrid
0 0-0 0; Estrada 6 3-4 16; Ihmud 1 5-6 7; DeAnda 3 2-2 8; Telas 0 0-0
0; Hill 1 2-2 4; Ceballos 2 0-0 4; Vega 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 13-16 63.
PECOS (50)
Sanchez 3 0-0 6; Plummer 1 1-2 3; Barreno 2 1-5 5; Armendariz 3 1-2
7; Rodriguez 4 0-0 9; Varela 1 0-0 2; Parent 3 1-1 7; Parada 0 0-0
0; Ortega 4 3-6 11; Mora 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 7-16 50.
Fabens 19 12 16 16 — 63
Pecos 10 11 9 20 — 50
Three-point goals: Fabens 4 (Lechuga 2, Juarez, Estrada). Fouled out:
Fabens, Vega. Pecos, Rodriguez. Total fouls: Fabens 18, Pecos 15.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail newsdesk@nwol.net
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Copyright 2002 by Pecos Enterprise
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