Scots power past Tigers in final minute

IMPERIAL – The Imperial High School Tigers (10-8 overall, 4-1 league) and the Vincent Memorial Catholic High School (VMCHS) Scots (16-4 overall, 4-1 league) met for their second Desert League match-up, battling to the final seconds of the game clock before the Scots ultimately defeated the Tigers 59-58, coming back from 7 points down with just 0:55 ticks left before the final buzzer.

The Scots win was led by Raul Villarreal with 17 points, ten rebounds and three blocks, followed by Francisco Perez-Tejada’s 16 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, and Armando Apodaca’s 11 points. Gael Villavicencio added to the Scots’ defensive effort with nine rebounds and three steals.

The Tigers had junior David Scariano leading all scorers with an impressive 40 points and eight rebounds.

“We were able to find a rhythm and play well as a team the whole game, but it came down to the final minute,” said Scots Head Coach Omar Vega. “We were down by seven points with 55 seconds left ... but the team knew what was at stake and weren’t gonna give up easily. “

“Vincent came out tough,” said the Tigers’ Head Coach Dave Milan. “We prepared for a dog fight, and it came down to protecting the ball and free throws towards the end.”

“Overall, we played a decent game on offense, but it was little defensive details at the end that made the difference,” Milan said.

Now that both teams have suffered one loss at the hands of each other, it leaves both teams tied for first place in the Desert League (DL).

The Tigers, who won their first match up with Calexico 62-36, will take on the VMCHS Scots in their third and final DL match-up on Thursday, February 2, at the Scots gym in Calexico.

“The team played great defense in the last minutes, which allowed us to regroup and score two late three-pointers to catch up and later win the game by one point,” Vega said.

“We will prepare for the big showdown in Calexico next week and focus on our upcoming games against Holtville and Calipatria in the meantime,” Milan said.

The Tigers will return to the court today, Thursday, January 26, for a non-league match up against the Southwest Eagles in Imperial.

The Scots will continue Desert League play and host the Calipatria Hornets on Friday, January 27, in Calexico.

PHOTO COURTESY JESUS ‘JQ’ QUESADA III Vincent Memorial Catholic High School Scot Raul Villareal (foreground) goes up for a tip-off against Imperial’s David Scariano during a Desert League boys basketball game held Friday, January 13, at the Scots’ gym, in Calexico.