Eastwood boys basketball team wins key District 1-6A showdown against Franklin
Peter Morales coached basketball teams make their mark with good defense and timely shooting.
On Friday night at Eastwood, where points were difficult to come by, Morales' Troopers were more efficient on offense in the final three quarters of the game to defeat Franklin, 33-17, in a battle of two top teams in District 1-6A.
Eastwood is 13-1 in district and Franklin is 12-1 in district and the teams have split the two district games this season. The regular season ends Feb. 14.
Franklin scored five points in the first quarter and didn't score a point in the second quarter.
"Coach Morales preaches defense every day in practice," Eastwood sophomore guard Devin Falk-Ramirez said. "On offense, we moved the ball side to side, stayed patient and hit some big shots when we needed."
After scoring three points in the first quarter, the Troopers scored 10 in the second quarter and 13 in the fourth quarter to pull away.
Falk-Ramirez handled the ball well against Franklin's pressure defense, scored a game-best 11 points and helped set up his teammates for some key baskets.
Diego Carrera added seven points for Eastwood and Andrew Reyes, a standout on the defensive end, hit two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to squash any hopes for Franklin.
"He's always contributing to the team," Falk-Ramirez said of Reyes. "He came up big against Franklin."
Added Reyes: "We were physical, mentally strong and focused coming into the game. Devin's always a good player, he brings us up and hitting big shots. I love him as a guard. When we go through our offense, move the ball and be patient, we get good shots."
Eastwood has two regular season games remaining and Franklin has three. If the two teams finished tied for the regular season title, there is a chance they could play again or they could flip for the top seed out of the district for the upcoming playoffs.
Franklin girls win district
The District 1-6A win streak continues for Franklin. The Cougars won their 30th straight game in district and 15th in a row this year on Friday in an 83-46 win against second-place Eastwood, which clinched the district championship.
"We challenged them in practice leading up to this game," Cougars coach Jonathan Watters said. "We hosted a tough one against Pebble Hills on Tuesday and it was closer than we'd like. It wasn't up to our standards and our kids responded. If we are going to get everyone's best effort, we're going to give our best effort. We knew this year would be tougher than last year, but I'm happy for the kids."
Amaris Valadez led Franklin with 23 points, and Emma Balsiger scored 18 points to lead Franklin and the team also received key contributions from Caitlynn Clark, Fatime Seck and Monique Contreras.
Friday's other top stars
Chapin's Natalie Mesa scored 18 points in a win against Jefferson, which put the Huskies one game closer to winning a District 1-5A championship.
Burges' Jordyn Hernandez scored her 1,000th point in a 69-42 win against Andress.
Pebble Hills' Nick Sapien scored 26 points in leading the Spartans past Eastlake.
Hanks' Nevaeh Moore scored 16 points and had 15 rebounds for Hanks in a win against Parkland.
Andress' Jeremiah Porrata scored 15 points for the streaking Andress Eagles in a win against Burges.
More: Recruiting news Here's a list of El Paso athletes competing in college sports, including running back LJ Martin
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Eastwood boys basketball team wins key District 1-6A game vs. Franklin
