Pecos crushes Cuba, eyes repeat for title

RIO RANCHO — The selection for halftime music at the Santa Ana Star Center during Wednesday’s Class 3A quarterfinals was much to Ira Harge’s liking.

Blaring over the public address system during the midgame break for Pecos and Cuba was Keith Sweat’s “I Want Her,” a 1988 hit that brought a smile to Harge’s face.

Same, too, for at least one of the Panthers’ players.

A self-described fan of ’80s rock, Xavier Padilla said he rather enjoys listening to the old stuff while getting ready for games. On Wednesday night, he must have been jamming to a lot of ’80s stuff because he and the rest of his teammates had absolutely no trouble cruising past Cuba and into Thursday night’s 3A semifinals against Estancia.

Padilla finished with a double-double, leading the third-seeded Panthers (26-3) to a 70-43 rout. Padilla had 20 points and 12 rebounds, getting 16 of those points in the first half as Pecos led from start to finish.

The Panthers led 7-2 in the game’s first few minutes and used their relentless defensive pressure to force 25 turnovers the entire night.

The lead was 26 at halftime and grew to 35-plus midway through the third quarter to usher in the running clock for a good portion of the rest of the game. It gave Harge a chance to rest his front line players, Padilla included.

“It’s nerve-wracking, because I’d rather be out there,” he said.

Padilla was one of four starters who was chained to the bench by the end of the third quarter.

“I’m ready to go back in the whole time,” he said.

Cuba was never in contention. The Rams got 30 percent for the game and missed 11 of their 12 tries from 3-point range. Their only make from the outside came late in the fourth quarter when the Pecos subs were getting all the playing time.

Carlos Cordova added 10 points while Mario Archuleta had 12 for Pecos. The stats could have been much more decisive in the Panthers’ direction were it not for 20 missed 3-point tries and a number of missed layups in transition.

The saving grace for Harge was getting the chance to follow last year’s routine, one that ended in the program’s first state championship in half a century. Pecos played all the late games early in last year’s tournament, giving the team the chance to return home each night rather than staying in a hotel. They will do the same this time. “I’m a firm believer it’s just much better to sleep in your own bed than it is to sleep in a foreign bed. Then you get a group of teenage boys together, you don’t know if they’re in bed. At least this way I know they’ll be in their own bed even though I’m not sure if they’re actually sleeping or not.”

Going home might expose the players to some of the pressure of the community as the team aims for a repeat title run, but Harge said his biggest concern comes from within.

“I would actually say more of the pressure is internal, meaning it’s us,” Harge said. “It’s the coaches and the team putting pressure on ourselves because the community in Pecos has been great. They’ve been more than supportive and they haven’t gone overboard.”

In Estancia the Panthers face one of the few teams that turned the tables on them. A run-and-gun outfit just like them, the Bears beat Pecos during the regular season by taking what the Panthers do and doing it just a little bit better.

“Last time they ran and got out in front of us,” Cordova said. “It’s hard to slow them down. It’s a very difficult thing to do with their speed.”