SHOWN, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, Erwin Barrera, Aaron Herrera, Saul Vargas, Ruben Flores, Oscar Pena, Isaac Rivas, Rodney Rodriguez, Ramon Vasquez, Luis Herrera, Ethan Rabenaldt, Adrian Rodriguez and James Marshall. A basketball fan on hand to watch the 32-A regional quarterfinal clash between San Perlita and San Isidro described it best - instant classic.

The familiar foes went toe to toe throughout the contest, and when the final buzzer sounded, San Isidro emerged victorious 55-51 in a thrilling shootout.

Both teams struggled offensively in the opening period, but San Perlita led 11-9 behind nice shooting by Junior guard Luis Herrera (16 points).

The district rivals played to a virtual standstill in the second quarter, and San Isidro went into halftime with a 24-22 advantage.

In the third period, San Isidro cruised to an early double digit lead, thanks largely to the stellar play of post Trey Mills.

“I really felt our legs became a factor in the game. In the third quarter, we used up a lot of energy and took some bad shots,” explained San Perlita headcoach Tom Wolfe, “San Isidro utilized their size and got rolling with their inside play.”

Mills (20 points) poured in fourteen points in the second half that helped the Tigers get out to a 37-28 lead.

Then the Trojans made a charge in the final quarter.

San Perlita turned up their pressure on defense and clawed their way back in the game.

Junior guard Aaron Herrera hit a huge three pointer that cut the Tiger lead to 45-44 with 3:00 remaining.

From that point, momentum traded benches as quickly as both teams could advance the basketball upcourt.

The Trojans and Tigers exchanged crowd pleasing baskets before Luis Herrera gave San Perlita its first lead in the second half when he converted an amazing four point play, making it 47-45.

Aaron Herrera momentarily extended the Trojan lead to 51- 47 after hitting a high arching three pointer over an extended Tiger defender.

The shot sent the UTPA Fieldhouse crowd into a frenzy, and San Isidro called for a timeout.

The Tigers regrouped nicely, and went back inside to Mills, who scored 4 unanswered points.

Mills sank two clutch freethrows with :53 seconds remaining, making it 51-51.

Two costly turnovers by San Perlita led to a lay-up by the Tigers, giving them a 53-51 lead.

“We hit some shots down the stretch that gave us a chance to win, but we didn’t take care of the ball when we had to,” explained Wolfe.

After a San Perlita timeout, the Trojans missed a potential game tying shot, and the Tigers chased down the rebound with 1.6 second left.

Senior Adrian Valdez sealed the San Isidro victory with two freethrows, sending the Tigers to the regional basketball tournament in Austin.

The loss ends San Perlita’s basketball season.

“I am proud of our team,” said a reflective Wolfe, “We played really good basketball the last month of the season. We beat some good teams in district and the playoffs that I feel were physically better than we were. But we came together as a team and played good, smart basketball.”

With no seniors on the roster, the future of San Perlita basketball truly looks bright.

“Everyone is coming back,” said the affable Wolfe, “I’m thankful for all the hardwork these kids put in. They did an excellent job.”