Boys basketball
What happened: The Horsemen have made the third quarter their playground during their 16-game winning streak, and it happened again as they sewed up the District 2-3A title Thursday in Perez-Shelley Gymnasium. Leading 39-25 at the half, St. Michael’s held the Dons to eight points in the third quarter to take a 51-33 lead into the fourth. The Dons cut into the margin but the final score was the closest they came to the Horsemen. St. Michael’s head coach Gerard Garcia said two days off because of snow probably affected his team’s energy level. “I think they were watching a lot of TV and being around the house,” Garcia said. “They get a little stiff out there [on the court], but their intensity did get a lot better in the third quarter.”
Top players: Adam Montoya and Josh Sanchez each had 17 points to lead the Horsemen.
What’s next: St. Michael’s (21-4 overall, 9-0 in 2-3A) can secure a perfect district record Saturday at home against Santa Fe Indian School. West Las Vegas (13-11, 4-5) can finish tied for third with SFIS with a win over Robertson on Saturday.
What happened: Even though the Braves only held a 25-24 halftime lead in a District 2-3A game in Prep Gymnasium, Blue Griffins head coach Joe Vigil said the writing was on the wall. His team struggled to take care of the ball for much of the game, and it hurt Prep in the third quarter. SFIS went on a 21-9 scoring run to take a 46-32 lead and upped the margin to 62-43 before a furious 21-6 rally cut the gap. “We discovered something in those last three minutes, which is intensity on both ends of the court,” Vigil said. “No better time than with the district tournament approaching.”
Top players: Senior wing Owen Pecos had 18 points to lead the Braves, while Jamaal Alonso added 13. The Callado brothers — Kenyen and Dontrey — each had 12. Morgan Field scored 22 points, while Mitch Grover and Kiran Belyeu each had 14.
What’s next: SFIS (17-8 overall, 5-4 in 2-3A) hosts St. Michael’s on Saturday with a chance to seal third place with a win. Prep (10-13, 2-7) is locked into fifth place and finishes the regular season at home against Raton.