Jaguars cling to life
coach Ben Gomez left the locker room right after his postgame chat, but Olivas felt Garcia and Lucero handled the spotlight well in the fourth quarter.
“They stepped up big time,” Olivas said. “They didn’t really turn the ball over. They handled it well.”
However, the offense stalled in the fourth, as Capital hit just one field goal in the final 8 minutes. Albuquerque High was within 57-53 when Mekhi Majedi scored a transition layup with 6:29 left. However, the Jaguars’ defense stiffened as the Bulldogs went four straight possessions without a point. The turning point came when Majedi was called for a personal foul while battling Sanchez for a rebound, then was hit with a technical foul for saying something after the ball.
Sanchez knocked down all four free throws and Capital led 62-53. The Jaguars survived at the free-throw line, hitting 12 of 18 in the fourth. Olivas hit his last four, and Rodriguez hit 1 of 2 to keep the Bulldogs at bay.
Capital has another “must-win” matchup in Albuquerque on Thursday against the Matadors, who beat Santa Fe High 54-53 in their own must-win game. This time, though, one of them will leave the court needing to win the 5-5A tournament in two weeks to ensure a spot in the state tournament. But to the victor, though, goes one more week knowing it still has destiny in its hands.
“We’re gonna have to pull that one out and play our best defense like we did here,” Sanchez said.
Welcome to “must-win” February.