Photos: Laredo United South returns from Covid-19 pause with 59-44 win over Laredo Nixon

Four Panthers led the scoring attack, including the Trevino brothers, Ray and Jacob, who combined for 31 points.

LAREDO, Texas - Laredo United South has not been on the court since Jan. 4 after being sideline for the past two weeks due to COVID-19 protocols within the team. The Panthers were forced to reschedule district games and will be playing a slew of games in the next few weeks. 

The Panthers looked good in their return, beating Laredo Nixon 59-44 Friday night in their first district game in two weeks. 

“The boys were very aggressive, and they were relentless in their play throughout the game," Laredo United South head coach Carmelo Gonzalez said. "We never took a breath or relaxed and allowed (Laredo) Nixon to get into their rhythm because they are great when they are in rhythm. We just talk about disrupting that as much as possible and I thought the boys did an excellent job today.”

Four Panthers led the scoring attack, including the Trevino brothers, Ray and Jacob, who combined for 31 points. Ray dropped a game-high 20 points, including three 3-pointers, while Jacob added 11 points. 

Oscar Medrano also had a strong game for Laredo United South as he came alive in the second half. Medrano was held to a field goal in the opening quarter and finally found his rhythm in the fourth quarter, scoring eight points to help the Panthers break away from Laredo Nixon. Armando Garza chipped in with 10 points. 

The Mustangs jumped out to an early lead behind their floor leader Ian Tovar, who scored six of his 15 points in the first quarter. Tovar utilized his presence in the paint to help Laredo Nixon jump out to a 19-7 opening quarter lead. 

Laredo United South finally started to get into game rhythm in the second quarter, chipping away at the Mustangs led. Laredo United South’s Isaac Garcia connected on a 3-pointer to make it a 27-24 ball game with 1:18 left in the half, then Jacob Trevino buried a triple with three seconds left in the half to cut Laredo Nixon's lead to 29-27.

Laredo United South clamped down in the second half on the defensive end, taking away the perimeter and forcing Laredo Nixon to hurry their shot selections. The Mustangs were held to six points in the third quarter. 

Midway through the third quarter the Panthers took their first lead of the game since the opening minute as Jacob Trevino hit this third 3-pointer at the 4:45 mark to give Laredo United South a 36-33 edge. The Panthers never trailed the rest of the game.

In the fourth quarter Medrano started to find success in the paint, scoring eight points to help Laredo United South build a 52-39 lead on back-to-back baskets with 4:20 remaining. 

Laredo Nixon’s Richard Garcia, who finished with 15 points, scored eight points in the fourth quarter to account for the majority of the offense for the Mustangs. Tovar was the only other Mustang to make a basket in the quarter. 

Laredo United South has little time to relish their victory as they turn around to play Eagle Pass on Saturday at 4 p.m.

PHOTO GALLERY