Melrose, Mora have a championship date
Rangers eliminate Magdalena in semis
RIO RANCHO — Top-seeded Melrose reached the finals of the Class 2A boys basketball tournament with a strong second-half run against Gateway Christian on Thursday at the Santa Ana Star Center.
The Buffaloes will play in the championship game on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Pit.
Melrose’s opponent will be No. 2 Mora, which gained a measure of revenge in beating Magdalena.
No. 1 MELROSE 70, No. 5 GATEWAY CHRISTIAN 53:
The Buffaloes (25-3) reeled off 19 straight points over the third and fourth quarters to pull away from the Warriors (20-6).
Wyatt Williams had 23 points, including 18 in the second half, and Cade Barnard added 16 for Melrose. Johnny Worrall led Gateway with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Williams’ effort was a big reason for Gateway’s demise, said retiring Warriors coach John Worrall.
“Wyatt Williams started hitting outside shots,” Worrall said. “He hit eight outside shots, primarily in the second half. We weren’t rotating as fast and we got a little tired. He was getting some open looks from the side and he was knocking them down.”
Gateway led 38-33 after consecutive 3-pointers from Scooby Taylor and Justin Reynolds with three minutes to go in the third quarter.
But the Warriors wouldn’t score again until midway through the fourth and by then, the game was all but decided.
“Once these guys decided to turn it on, the seniors (Williams) and Caden and Jordan (Jasso), they just went out there and battled,” said Melrose coach Jim Doherty. “They did the things we’ve been asking them to do since they were young.”
A big play came early in the fourth quarter when Jasso hit a semi-dunk that popped up and out then dropped through.
“That was huge,” Williams said. “Anytime you see a dunk in a small school basketball game, that’s a big deal. We could hear the crowd went wild and it got all of us pumped up and we just stepped it up to a whole new level.”
— Glen Rosales No. 2 MORA 60, No. 3 MAGDALENA 33:
Mora waited a year for this game.
Knocked out of the state semifinals last year by eventual 2A state champion Magdalena, the Rangers avenged that loss beating the Steers.
“Last year we really felt we had a good chance,” said Mora senior Casimiro Fresquez. “(Beating Magdalena) really meant a lot. We still had that bitter taste in our mouth, and we just wanted it more tonight.”
Magdalena never led, but closed to within 17-15 midway through the second quarter after Anthony Pino’s closerange bank shot.
Mora (26-5) responded with a 16-4 salvo to close the first half.
Emmerick Martinez put back an offensive rebound, Travis Romero spotted up for a foul line jumper, and Fresquez nailed one of his four 3s in the game to ignite the rally.
Fresquez finished with a game-high 23 points and four steals, and Romero added 10 points and seven rebounds for the senior-dominated Rangers.
Mora enters the state title game riding a 13-game winning streak, and despite the lopsided final, first-year head coach Hank Laumbaugh said there is still room for improvement.
“Every game we put behind us, we learn from it, and even today we learned,” Laumbaugh said. “We’ve jelled at the right time, and big games early in the season helped us big time coming down the stretch.”
Jorrell Mirabal scored 13 points to lead Magdalena (246), which loses only one senior to graduation.
“I don’t want to make this one game determine what our season was,” said Magdalena coach Jory Mirabal. “We were disappointed with the loss and how we lost, but that’s a great Mora team, and their senior experience showed.”