Rising Elkettes learn a crucial lesson
Early run by Mesa Vista forces unwanted timeout; Pojoaque emerges on a tear
JACONA — All the eyes watching the action in Ben Luján Gymnasium were focused on the present. Seledon Martinez was looking into the future.
The last thing most of the people in the stands for Pojoaque Valley’s openinground game of its own Ben Luján Tournament expected to see Thursday night was the plucky Mesa Vista Lady Trojans holding an 18-17 lead with less than 2 minutes before the half.
Martinez, the third-year Elkettes head coach, felt the same way. But he also saw a teaching moment after he called a timeout to get his team’s attention. He didn’t want to call it, preferring to see how his team handled a taste of adversity.
“The good teams have to be able to pull things out on their own,” Martinez said. “I told them, ‘You see yourselves struggling. Pull yourselves together during a dead ball [situation] and talk to yourselves.’ ”
Still, the timeout did wonders for Pojoaque (7-1), as it fueled a closing 41-4 run and forced 16 turnovers over the final 18 minutes for a 59-23 win. The Elkettes advance to a semifinal matchup against Mora, which beat Bernalillo 50-43 Thursday evening.
Martinez’s idea for the timeout also stemmed from the knowledge that there will come a time when he can’t bail his team out with a break in the action. Like, say, during a Class 4A State Tournament game.
“We get to the state tournament and we have to burn a timeout just to compose ourselves,” Martinez said. “It’s going to hurt us at the end of the game because we don’t have it.”
This was a time when he could afford that luxury. Mesa Vista lived off of the impatience of the Elkettes, who seemed to go into cruise control after taking a 12-5 lead on Dallas
Archibald’s putback at the 6:38 mark of the second quarter.
Pojoaque proceeded to miss eight of its next 10 shots to give the Lady Trojans an opening. A 13-4 run ensued, and when Abrianna Griego hit a pair of free throws with 1:58 left, Mesa Vista held a one-point lead.
“They put up a good fight at the beginning and throughout the whole game,” Pojoaque junior Adrianna Quintana said. “We just didn’t play our game, and I think that’s what we needed to do.”
Pojoaque’s game is to pressure teams into turnovers and convert them into transition baskets. It finally took hold after Ashten Martinez scored on a putback with 1:40 left to give the Elkettes a 19-18 lead. Mesa Vista turned the ball over on its last five possessions of the half, and those miscues fed Pojoaque’s transition game. Four of its last five buckets came on layups, and the lead was 28-21 at the half.
It was vintage Elkettes basketball — at least how coach Martinez envisioned it when he talked to the players three years ago when he took over. He reminded them about it in the locker room.
“I told them, ‘Remember three years ago I told what was going to happen,’ ” Seledon Martinez said. “‘We’re going to get a steal, and we’re going to get a layup. Then, we’re going to turn around and get another steal and a layup. Then we’re going to get another one and another one.’ ”
It happened against the Lady Trojans, who managed just an Aubrianna Martinez putback in the third quarter while the Elkettes did exactly what their coach said they would do.
Ashten Martinez capped the third quarter with a shot off the glass from the right side for a 51-23 edge with :40 left.
Hennessei Calabaza hit the second of two free throws with 5 minutes left in the game, and the margin was 58-23, beginning the 35-point mercy rule clock countdown.
That seemed unimaginable just 12 game minutes earlier to many in the stands. The Elkettes, meanwhile, were just living in the moment.
“We just played our game,” Quintana said. “We didn’t know how this game would end. We didn’t think anything of it.”
Michaela Martinez led Pojoaque with 14 points, Ashten Martinez had 12 and Archibald added 10 as eight Elkettes scored. Griego led Mesa Vista (2-6) with 11 points.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND GAMES WEST LAS VEGAS 48, MCCURDY 11
The Lady Dons (5-1) knew who to stop — Lady Bobcats guard Karla Santos — and they did just that in a convincing fashion. Santos had just three points and McCurdy (3-3) never scored more than five points in a quarter.
West Las Vegas led 30-5 at the half and 43-10 entering the fourth quarter. Jenna Bustos and Brianna Maes each had 11 points to earn high-point honors for the Lady Dons, who play Peñasco in another semifinal at 3 p.m.
PEÑASCO 74, WINGATE 46
The Lady Panthers (8-1) outscored the Lady Bears 16-7 in the third quarter to turn a 37-23 halftime lead into a 53-30 margin.
Carly Gonzales showed she is more than just the Class 1A/2A state cross country champion, scoring 31 points to lead the way for Peñasco. Adrianna Tafoya added 18 points and Alaska Lopez scored nine of her 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Dellena Payton had 20 points for Wingate (0-5).
MORA 50, BERNALILLO 43
The Rangerettes outscored the Lady Spartans 24-13 in the fourth quarter to erase a 30-26 deficit.
Dennika Bustos had eight of her 17 points in the final quarter for Mora (3-5), thanks to 8-for-8 shooting from the free-throw line. Janiya Gold scored seven of her 12 points in the quarter, to boot.
Bernalilo’s Destiny Gonzales had 15 points to lead her team, which fell to 1-10 on the season.
NORTHERN SCORES SANTA FE 53, ESPAÑOLA VALLEY 41
The Santa Fe High Demonettes showed what happens when they listen and learn.
The Rubix Cube that was the matchup zone defense seemed a lot less complex on Thursday night, as Santa Fe High held Española Valley to just two points in the third quarter in Edward Medina Gymnasium.
The Demonettes only led 26-24 at the half, but head coach Cindy Roybal went to her breadand-butter defense. It worked perfectly as Santa Fe High grew the margin to 38-26 heading into the fourth quarter and 45-28 with 3 minutes left in the game.
“That showed them what they can do when they listen to the coaches,” Roybal said. “We almost shut them out and when they scored, it was only because of a miscue on our part.”