With win last week, Shorthorns seek district title Friday

MARFA – The Marfa Shorthorns varsity basketball team made short order of El Paso Harmony Science Academy despite a slow start in district basketball action here Friday.

The 56-32 win put the Purple & White with 21 wins and just two losses on the season and six wins and a measly one loss in district play, setting up the district championship game with the Fort Hancock Mustangs on Friday. Game time is 8pm central time in Fort Hancock.

A win on Friday would give Marfa the 2012 gold basketball district championship trophy. A loss creates a three-way tie for first with Fort Hancock and Van Horn and a semi-complicated combination of coin tosses and sudden death games to obtain the pecking order. Regardless of the outcome of Friday’s game, Team Marfa advances into the state playoffs.

(staff photo by ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN) Jose Cruz, #23, goes for two against El Paso Harmony Science Academy Friday night. The Horns won 56-32.

Mostly hot but sometimes cool, the Horns got off to a tepid start against Harmony who kept it tied at 17-all after one period of play. Marfa pulled out front by the half and took a 29-24 advantage to the locker room, holding Harmony to just four points in the third to pull ahead 42-28.

While Harmony faded the Horns got tougher and outscored the El Paso team 14 points to four points in the final period of play.

To say it was a team effort would be an understatement as a quartet of Horns each scored 11 points for the winning effort: Warren Acosta, Jose Cruz, Zach Madrid, and Andrew Ontiveroz. Fellow teammate Fabian Serrano scored six points and Horn trio made a basket each: Tim Flores, Justin Guevara, and Henry Sanchez.