Horsemen handle crowd, advance in state tourney
Horsemen build big cushion that Wingate, with encouragement from its massive fan base, whittles down
It’s not often that the words, “It’s only an eight-possession game,” serve as a cautionary tale in high school basketball. On Saturday afternoon inside jam-packed Perez-Shelley Memorial Gymnasium, they did just that. Almost. Leading by as many as 26 points in the second half, St. Michael’s saw its massive cushion against visiting Wingate whittled to just seven in the waning moments of the Class 4A State Tournament opening round game. It wasn’t until Curtis Rogers stopped the bleeding with a bucket while falling to the floor late in the fourth quarter that the Horsemen got the boost they needed to finish a 59-48 victory.
The win sends them into the 4A quarterfinals Wednesday against No. 2 Portales at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.
Seeded seventh, the Horsemen (15-14) played Saturday’s game with two huge obstacles in their path. Leading scorer Luke Archuleta didn’t suit up after suffering a hairline fracture in his right foot in practice earlier in the week, and No. 10 Wingate’s huge fan base filled the majority of the gym’s 1,150 seats in a game that was sold out well before the scheduled 3 p.m. tipoff.
One school official said Wingate’s fans started lining up for tickets six hours before tipoff.
“I’m not sure I’ve heard or seen it like that in our place in a long, long time,” St. Michael’s coach Ron Geyer said. “But what a great environment for a state tournament game. The crowd was outstanding — even if it was louder for the other team.”
The fact that the Horsemen came out red hot and opened a 29-9 lead well into the second quarter didn’t deter the Bears’ fans from staying energized. Every defensive stand, every made basket, every crisp pass was greeted with a roar from Wingate’s fans even though St. Michael’s kept pulling further ahead.
It was 42-26 at halftime and 50-31 after three quarters. Horsemen fans were already looking ahead to Portales.