St. Michael’s routs Cuba
With stout defense, Lady Horsemen advance with 56-31 win
The St. Michael’s Lady Horsemen were starving for the past six weeks. They appreciated the full emotional bellies that come with a victory Friday night.
What hasn’t changed for the Lady Horsemen through their six-game losing streak was their perseverance and their defensive intensity. Those qualities were prevalent throughout their 56-31 win over Cuba in the opening round of the Girls Class 3A State Basketball Tournament in Perez-Shelley Gymnasium.
The seventh-seeded Lady Horsemen (14-11) advance to a 3A quarterfinal against District 2-3A foe No. 2 seed Las Vegas Robertson on Tuesday in the Rio Rancho Events Center.
St. Michael’s leaned heavily into its defensive-minded personality against the 10th-seeded Rams. There were two stretches in which Cuba did not record a basket for a combined 17 minutes, 55 seconds and St. Michael’s used its full-court pressure to force 38 turnovers.
Lady Horsemen head coach Sonya Riuz credited her team’s defensive performance on conditioning and working on two key elements — its full-court press and the press breaker.
“They truly trusted what we’re asking them to do out there,” Ruiz said. “That makes a big difference when they trust it. They know that if they follow the game plan and stay disciplined, good things happen.”
Perhaps more significant is the Lady Horsemen did something they have struggled to do at times this season — hit shots when the moment arose. While St. Michael’s was just 21-for-60 from the field, the team grabbed 21 offensive rebounds that extended possessions that led to key buckets.
Perhaps no two buckets were more crucial than the two 3-pointers Mia Duran hit midway through the third quarter, and both came off of offensive rebounds. With Cuba (15-14) within 32-26 after a Cara Toledo layup with 5:42 left in the third, St. Michael’s had to find a response.
The Lady Horsemen did it by hitting the deck. A pair of offensive rebounds by Elsie Odai and another by Mariella Ruiz led to the opening Duran needed
from the top of the key, and she drained the 3 for a 35-26 lead.
A minute later, Mariella Ruiz came through with another offensive board and the ball swung to Duran on the left sideline. Her shot was pure, and the Cuba threat was quelled as the lead grew to 38-26 with 3:42 left.
It was the start of a crucial 12-2 scoring run that put the game out of reach for the Rams, who missed their last 15 shots from the field and recorded just three free throws to finish the game.
“We just knew we had to calm down and I had to calm down,” Duran said. “I was stressing a little bit, but my teammates were there to pick me up. We just knew what we had to do.”
But those big plays had been missing during the losing streak, in which St. Michael’s either led or were within a possession of taking the lead in the second half.
“Mentally, it was pretty hard,” Mariella Ruiz said. “But our coaches and our teammates and our support — the families and the fans — they’ve helped us to grow. My grandma always says, ‘You have to learn how to lose before you can win.’ I think we’ve learned how to lose. Now it’s time for us to win.”
Still, the Lady Horsemen showed moments when their penchant for rushing passes and shots led to sloppy play. That was the case for both teams in the opening quarter, as they combined for 17 turnovers and made just six of their first 28 shots.
St. Michael’s had eight turnovers when Odai was called for a three-second lane violation on the opening possession of the second quarter, but the tema discovered its discipline after that. The Lady Horsemen did not commit a turnover over the next 4-plus minutes and connected on six of 12 shots in the quarter to build a 23-11 lead on Duran’s layup with 3:52 left in the half.
Just when good things were happening for St. Michael’s, it reverted back to form with four turnovers over the last 3:20. Cuba took advantage and cut the lead to 28-21 on Aleah Nez’s two free throws with 0.2 seconds left. The Lady Horsemen finished with 25 turnovers, but eight of them came late in the game after the margin mushroomed to 20 points.
“Turnovers is a big thing we struggle with,” Duran said. “The coaches let us know that we can’t dribble the ball by ourselves and that we have to be a team, look for our teammates and make sure you’re looking up [on the court].”
Things are finally looking up for St. Michael’s at the right time. After spending the last six weeks wondering if anything good will come, the Lady Horsemen feel like one win could be the start of something big.