Del Norte Knights fend off Jaguars
ALBUQUERQUE — In God, David Flores trusted. The Albuquerque Del Norte Knights can thank God for that.
Del Norte’s 5-foot-9 sophomore forward gave credit to a higher power Tuesday night, but Flores had a little something to do with his good fortune. He just happened to be near the free-throw line when his missed shot bounced away from Capital’s Tyler Alarid and right to him. Flores used his instincts to grab the ball and shoot just before regulation’s final buzzer, then he watched the ball settle into the net for the gamewinner that threw District 2-5A into chaos.
The Knights (9-13 overall, 4-2 in 2-5A) moved into second place in the district with a 56-54 win over Capital (18-5, 3-2) the third-ranked team in Class 5A according to this week’s New Mexico Overtime SportsCenter coaches poll. The outcome also burst the bubble of mounting anticipation for Friday’s CapitalEspañola Valley rematch in Edward A. Ortiz Memorial Gymnasium.
Not that Del Norte minded. The Knights, who reached the 5A semifinals last March (in case anyone forgot), are trying to be what the Jaguars and the Sundevils have been for the past three years.
“Those guys really deserve it,” Del Norte head coach Jeron McIntosh said. “They’re really good. It’s just, it’s something we strive to be. We want to be them. We want to be that team everybody talks about, to be that third team.” Well, let the talk begin. As for Flores, his heroic deed was one part execution, one part preparation, one part faith.
“It’s the team, it’s not me,” Flores said. “I got to give all the glory to God. It’s him, right there. Just don’t give up on the play.”
Flores did what every coach instructs every shooter — follow the shot. The sequence began with senior guard Daniel Flores driving to the basket before kicking the ball out to Ronson Begay in the right corner. With Jaguars wing Seth Arroyos leaping at him, Begay shot-faked, took a dribble to his right and passed to David Flores cutting from the right wing amid Capital fans howling for a travel call on the fake, believing he didn’t keep his feet on the ground.
Instead, David Flores’ shot from just inside the 3-point line hit the front of the rim and bounced to Capital guard Tyler Alarid. Begay flew in and got his hand on the ball as Alarid tried to dribble, knocking it to Flores, who then grabbed it and knocked it down.
It was the last of 17 turnovers the Jaguars committed on the night.
“I should have secured it there at the end,” Alarid said. “Just a little mistake. Just got to pick it up from there, those 50-50 balls.”
It was a bittersweet end to a hearty Jaguars comeback from a 53-48 deficit with 2:30 left in the game. Capital went on a 6-1 spurt, getting much-needed breaks when Daniel Flores missed the second of two free throws with 1:53 left
and a missed layup 20 seconds later. T.J. Sanchez drained a 3-pointer and Aaron Garcia hit a transition layup to cut the lead to 54-52 with 1:19 left.
Begay was called for a travel 15 seconds later, and Arroyos knocked down a 10-footer in the lane to tie the score at 54-all.
But this was where the Knights’s experience in close games became a boon rather than a burden. Coming into the game, Del Norte was 3-7 in games decided by five points or less and 1-4 in one-possession games. Having played in that many games gave the Knights the composure they needed in a high-pressure situation.
“We’ve struggled down the stretch early in the season,” McIntosh said. “That’s helped us now because we had to practice those situations and we got exposed to them. It’s helped us now. And we knew composure would be a big key against [the Jaguars], because they make big runs all the time.”
Capital jumped out to a 19-9 lead by hitting seven of its first 10 shots of the game, but the Jaguars didn’t just cool after a hot start. They were a frigid 0-for-5 with six turnovers over the last 12:38 of the first half. Del Norte patiently chipped away, thanks to eight straight points from Daniel Flores that got the Knights within 21-20 with 5:59 left in the second quarter.
When Begay drained a 3 with :05 left in the opening half, the Knights took a 27-26 lead into the locker room. They held the lead for all but 1:01 of the second half. Capital held a 42-41 lead when Dominic Luna knocked down a 15-footer with 6 seconds left in the third quarter, but Daniel Flores scored on a layup 32 seconds into the fourth to help Del Norte retake a 43-42 lead and up the margin to 47-41.
Daniel Flores had a teamhigh 24 points, while Begay added 17. Capital had Arroyos lead the way with 13 points, while Luna, Garcia and Sanchez each added 10.