Demons rout Hawks to win season opener

The Santa Fe High Demons opened the boys basketball season Saturday night by showing off their speed, quickness and shooting acumen.

They hit eight 3-pointers and had four players reach double figures in scoring, while their pressure stifled Las Cruces Centennial in a 78-58 win in Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium.

It was a strong start to a season that has Santa Fe High head coach Zack Cole hopeful his squad will be a contender in District 5-5A and continue a run of six straight postseason appearances.

“It was good to see them flying around, being active and putting that to work,” Cole said.

While the Demons are not especially tall, they are a lanky group that used their length to bother the Hawks guards into turnovers and slowed down their offensive attack. In turn, Santa Fe High showed versatility on offense with a balanced scoring approach.

Diego Ortiz had a team-high 15 points, while a trio of Demons chipped in with 13 points — P.J. Lovato, Elijah Apodaca and Elefio Benavidez. Santa Fe High also showed a depth of shooters that it hasn’t had over the last couple of seasons, as five players hit triples.

The biggest one came from junior Lorenzo Perea, whose shot from the left wing with 3:30 in the second quarter ignited a closing 9-0 run to give the Demons a 39-24 lead at the half.

They followed that by stiffening up their defense in the third quarter, as Centennial managed only five points in the quarter to allow Santa Fe High to lengthen its lead, which reached 52-26 on Santiago Montoya’s jumper in the lane with 3:01 to go in the quarter.

He scored five points in the final period and almost became the fifth Demon to reach double figures, but finished with nine.

Cole said while some of the players are new to the varsity, they have been preparing to step up in their new roles for the past few years.

“They’re ready, they’re chomping at the bit to get their opportunity,” Cole said. “That’s what we’ve talked about. It doesn’t matter when in or when you get to varsity or if you’re a starter on the varsity, what’s important is what you do with your minutes once you get them.”

Centennial was led by Jeven Beltran, who scored 11 of his game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Santa Fe High won’t see the court again until the first round of its own Bobby Rodriguez Capital City Tournament on Thursday. The Demons will face Los Alamos in an opening-round game at 7 p.m.