LAMESA – The Burges High School boys basketball team had a solid game plan for the Region 1-5A, Division 2 title game vs. Mansfield Summit.
But the Mustangs couldn’t get going on offense Friday at Lamesa High School and fell, 50-30, to the defending state champion Jaguars.
The Mustangs end the season with a 24-12 record and have playoff victories over Hanks, Amarillo Palo Duro, and Fort Worth Brewer. Mansfield Summit is 32-6 and advances to the Final Four on either March 9 or 10. Summit also defeated Andress in the playoffs. The Jaguars advance to the Final Four for the third time in four years.
What led to Burges’ loss to Mansfield Summit
Burges made just 5 of 17 shots from the field in the first half and trailed 27-11 at the break. Burges played well on defense, but the Jaguars hurt the Mustangs in the first half with second-chance points, scoring 10 of their 27 points.
In the third quarter, Burges stiffened on defense again and held the Jaguars to four points, but shaved just two points off the lead and trailed 31-17 after three quarters.
Who led the way for Burges against Mansfield Summit
Senior guard Anthony Rubio scored nine points and senior forward Alex Bermudez scored in double figures with 10 points.
Who led the way for Mansfield Summit against Burges
Guard Joseph Creal III scored 12 points, guard David Bardere scored 10 points apiece and guard Javon Ross scored seven points. In total, seven Jaguars scored in the game.
Creal III scored 31 points in the last two playoff wins.
What Burges coach Danny Martinez said
“We played a good team, a physical team and lots of credit goes to them,” Martinez said. “We had some good looks at the basket, just couldn’t get shots to fall. Mansfield Summit was relentless on the boards.”
What Burges players Anthony Rubio and Alex Bermudez said
“This team was great to be around. I am going to miss being around the guys. We were close, and that led to our success,” Bermudez said. “We gave it our best effort.”
Added Rubio: “This definitely hurts, but I love this team. Nobody can take what we did away from us. The seniors stepped up, we’re more mature and we’re locked in this season.”
A look back at Burges and a look ahead
In Martinez’s first two years at Burges, the team won 9 and 13 games before winning 24 this year.
“The first step in success is failure,” Martinez said. “Our players stuck with it and we improved and we achieved so much this year.”
Burges will lose nine seniors from this year’s team, but a new winning culture has been established at Burges under Martinez.
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Burges HS basketball team sees season end in loss to Mansfield Summit
Reporting by Felix F. Chavez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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