Demonettes rout St. Michael’s for fourth straight victory
The Santa Fe High Demonettes get it — finally. The matchup zone defense that vexed them or most of this season is a thing of the past.
Santa Fe High held St. Michael’s to just two third-quarter points that set the tone in a convincing 51-34 win in Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium on Monday night to earn city bragging rights.
The win is the fourth in a row — which includes a 52-33 win over Capital on Jan. 5 — and the sixth in the last seven games for the Demonettes, who now stand at 9-7 on the season.
Gone is the frustration that went with an 0-3 start to the season as Santa Fe High struggled so much to understand head coach Cindy Roybal’s favorite defense that she eschewed it. Not anymore. “When they run the matchup correctly, no one can beat us,” Roybal said. “They understand it now, and they understand it more and more, which makes me a happy kid.”
Equally happy is senior forward Adonica BacaMartinez, who went through her own struggles in trying to find her place in Santa Fe High’s offense. Turns out, it’s in the paint, as Baca-Martinez had a game-high 22 points. She scored the first two buckets — on drives — of a crucial 9-0 run that turned a 12-9 lead into a 21-9 advantage. BacaMartinez was a constant presence, scoring six points in three out of the four quarters.
“She was just consistent,” St. Michael’s head coach Martin Esquibel said.
The Lady Horsemen (8-9) got within 21-12, but BacaMartinez scored on a drive from the right wing and Kaya Suina drained a 3-pointer for a 26-14 margin with 1:48 left in the first half.
St. Michael’s couldn’t get on track in the third quarter, going scoreless through the first 4:28 of the quarter before Karisa Baca’s layup that made it 31-18, before the Demonettes reeled off the last six points of the quarter for a 37-18 margin. Esquibel said his team got good looks, but struggled to convert them.
“We shot 21 percent inside the 3-point line,” Esquibel said. “Most of those misses were in the third. For whatever reason, we were cold, and we were getting several shots. [The Demonettes] were getting one shot, but they were hitting on theirs.”
Taylor Salazar added nine points, with six coming on a pair of 3s in the first quarter, while Kaya Suina added seven. Carissa Padilla led St. Michael’s with 14 points, while Joelyn Fernandez added 10.
The Demonettes will try to keep momentum on their side as they head into District 2-6A play. They get a week off before taking on Albuquerque Sandia on the road on Jan. 16.
“That’s both good and bad,” Roybal said. “I don’t want to get rusty, but I want to get ready [for the Lady Matadors]. It gives us ample opportunity to get prepared, but I wish we had another game in between. It’s just how the ball bounces and we have to live with that.”