Storm, Jags survive in the (6A) wild
Cleveland, Atrisco Heritage win thrilling semifinal contests
Two overtimes in the first semifinal.
And controversy in the second one.
When Dreamstyle Arena had emptied after a memorably dramatic Thursday, left standing in the Class 6A boys state basketball tournament were No. 3 seed Atrisco Heritage and No.
5 Cleveland.
That means there will be a first-time state champion Saturday night.
The Jaguars edged Las Cruces in two OTs in the early evening, and the Storm got a putback at the buzzer to upset
Eldorado in the day’s crazy and exciting finale.
Atrisco Heritage (25-3) and Cleveland (22-9) will meet at 8 p.m. Saturday in the championship game.
No. 5 CLEVELAND 70, No. 1 ELDORADO 68: The Storm was down 68-63 with 43 seconds left, but staged a furious rally, capped by freshman Tre Watson’s rebound and gamewinning putback at the buzzer.
Before that, Aamer Muhammad buried a 3-pointer and scored on a layup with 17 seconds left, following an Eldorado turnover, to tie the game at 68.
Then another turnover put the ball in the Storm’s hands for a final shot with 8.3 seconds to go.
Jalen Munn, who was outstanding with 23 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, missed the initial try. In fact, he missed the rim entirely. It bounced off the backboard.
“I knew when Jalen shot it, there was three seconds left,” said Watson, who was terrific in a 14-point effort on 7-of-11 shooting. “(Eldorado’s Tyler) Rodgers missed it, so I grabbed it off the ground and put it up.”
The video replay of the play seemed to show the ball in Watson’s hands when the red light on the backboard illuminated.
“The ball was clearly in his hand,” Eldorado coach Roy Sanchez said.
“Yes, he did (get it off in time),” Storm coach Sean Jimenez said. “No question.”
Watson’s putback was the 14th and final lead change in a hugely enjoyable, tense and thrilling contest between the Eagles (25-3), whose 20-game winning streak was snapped, and Cleveland.
Cleveland also came from five down in Wednesday’s quarterfinals against Volcano Vista. Thursday, the Storm’s pressure defense forced Eldorado into two rushed turnovers in that final minute.
“We could have folded,” Jimenez said. “In the middle of the season, we weren’t winning these games. In the middle of the season, that’s a nine-point loss.”
Eldorado shot 55 percent (21 of 38), Cleveland 51 percent (27 of 53).
No. 3 ATRISCO HERITAGE 50, No. 2 LAS CRUCES 46 (2 OT): Both these teams started the season wanting redemption for crushing losses to Volcano Vista in last year’s state tournament.
But only the Jaguars — every bit as driven by heartache as the Bulldawgs were when this season began 3½ months ago — will have a chance to get some.
Led by sophomore guard Joziah Ramos, the Jaguars are going back to the final for the first time since 2014.
“We teach our kids to be humble, first and foremost,” Atrisco Heritage coach Adrian Ortega said. “It hurt last year, and our kids (lived) with that all year long. But the disappointment that our program had, and the buy-in that our kids, shows that (commitment).”
In a meticulous, measured game between two experienced rosters, it was Ramos who provided the difference. He had all four points in the first overtime, and he also scored the first four in the second OT. He finished with 21 points.
“Not done yet,” Ramos said succinctly, asked about his performance in the overtimes. “(We’re) still going.”
Said Atrisco senior forward Jordan Arroyo: “Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it, a sophomore dominating on the varsity level.”
It was a tough setback for Las Cruces.
“It hurts right now,” Las Cruces coach William Benjamin said, “because the goal was to get to the state championship.”