Shorthorns do it the hard way to stay in basketball play

MARFA, FORT HANCOCK, PECOS, ALPINE – The Marfa Shorthorns split a pair of games with the Fort Hancock Mustangs, losing 46-43 to the ponies on Friday and defeating the Lower Valley boys 47-43 on Tuesday.

Friday’s loss in Fort Hancock made district tri-champions of the Horns, the Mustangs and the Van Horn Eagles as the regular and district seasons ended, which set up Tuesday’s first of two district seeding games played at the neutral site in Pecos.

On Friday, Marfa plays the Eagles to round out the district pecking order. Game time is 7:30pm in the Sul Ross State University Gallego Center in Alpine.

A win gives Marfa a first-round bye in post-season play; a loss would pit the Horns against either McCamey or Irion County for the bi-district title, time and place to be decided, but likely on Tuesday.

The Horns have stitched together an amazing 2012 season record with 22 wins and just 3 losses and a 7-2 district record.

Give Shorthorn Andrew Ontiveroz the offensive player of the Mustang series, who racked up 40 points in both games.

He bucketed 17 points on Tuesday night as the Purple & White got off to a slow start, trailing 13-5 after the first period, down 23-17 at the half, and behind 38-28 after three periods of play.

A fourth-period rally propelled Marfa to victory as the Purple & White outscored the ponies 19 points as the Shorthorn defense held the opponents to just five points. Shorthorn Jerram Rojo stepped up to the plate in the fourth with six points and a free throw, Jose Cruz with 2 points and a free throw, and Ontiveroz with 6 points and 2 free throws.

Following the 17 points by Ontiveroz, Cruz totaled 15 points, Rojo had 9, and 2 each by Zach Madrid, Warren Acosta, and Fabian Serrano.

Friday’s game with Fort Hancock was almost the same, sans the fourth-period rally.

The ponies led after all periods of play, 12-8, 34-18, and 39-29.

Ontiveroz paced the Marfa offense with 23 points, followed by Acosta with 7 points, as Madrid made 5 points, with 4 points each by Serrano and Cruz.

In JV action Friday, the Mustangs beat the Shorthorns 38-10.

Marfa score-makers were Eduardo Amaro with 5 points, Ricardo Velasquez with 3 points, and Carlos Parras with a bucket.