The Horsemen ride tall
St. Mike’s romps over rival Robertson
Payback for the St. Michael’s Horsemen wasn’t necessarily pretty, but it sure felt good.
Adam Montoya scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter and St. Mike’s pulled away to beat rival Robertson 66-49 in Saturday’s Class 3A boys state championship in the Pit.
Montoya and teammate Sabiani Rios exemplified the tone of the game, which was tied at 35 after three quarters. Rios scored 10 of his 15 points in the final eight minutes, when the Horsemen (27-4) forced 10 turnovers and outscored the Cardinals 31-14.
“The fourth quarter was crucial and it came off our defense,” St. Mike’s coach Gerard Garcia said. “We wore them down. You could see it in their eyes; they got tired.”
Defense certainly won the day for St. Mike’s, which forced 21 turnovers overall and avenged a loss to Robertson in last season’s Class 3A final. The Horsemen snapped a string of three runner-up finishes since their last crown in 2012.
After the game, Montoya rested his head on an interview table next to the blue winner’s trophy before raising it with a tired smile.
“We had to work hard to get here,” he said, “but it feels great to have this trophy.”
It felt a bit like redemption to Garcia, who took over as interim coach at St. Michael’s midway through the 2021-22 season and lost three of four games to Robertson, includng the state final. St. Mike’s finished 4-0 versus the Cardinals (26-6) this season.
“I told my staff, ‘If I don’t win a state championship within three years, I’ll quit,’” he said. “I guess now I can stick around a while.”
St. Mike’s had to do it the hard way Saturday after falling into an 18-9 hole. Robertson’s Kenneth Montoya banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Robertson its largest lead.
But the Cardinals scored just one point in the second quarter. The Horsemen led 21-20 at halftime and eventually took over in the fourth quarter.
“They just took the momentum with their ball pressure and steals,” said Jesse James Gonzales, who led Robertson with 17 points. “The momentum changed and we couldn’t get it back.”