Demons’ defense squeezes Jaguars
Santa Fe High wins sloppy game 62-41; teams play again Tuesday
The Santa Fe High Demons made the outcome moot relatively early Saturday night, but they showed they have some work to do as the boys basketball regular season winds down.
Santa Fe High’s stifling defense made short work of crosstown rival Capital in a District 5-5A showdown in Edward A. Ortiz Memorial Gymnasium, helping the Demons to an 11-0 lead by the halfway point of the opening quarter. After that, they overcame sloppy ballhandling and a ragged first-half performance by both teams to secure a 62-41win.
Santa Fe High (18-4 overall, 6-2 in 5-5A) officially secured second place in the district with the win, but it struggled to maintain the intensity level that highlighted the first few minutes.
Despite the 11-point outburst at the outset, the Demons only led 11-4 by the end of the quarter, as Capital (10-13, 1-6) improved its ballhandling. The Jaguars had six turnovers in the first five minutes on their way to 20 for the game. They only managed one shot in their first six possessions, and that was blocked by Santa Fe High senior guard Elijah Apodaca the first time Capital had the ball.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe High got off to a hot start, knocking down its first three shots and five of its first eight shots. After that, the Demons committed seven of its nine firsthalf turnovers, and the offense sputtered as the Demons eschewed the 3-point shot for something different.
For once, Santa Fe High had the size advantage and worked at getting the ball into the paint. Demons head coach Zack Cole said it probably led to some of the turnovers and missed shots in the interior.
What was more concerning, though, was the continued porous free-throw shooting. Santa Fe High managed to hit just five of its first 15 free throws in the opening half.
It was a continuation of its struggles in a 70-62 loss to Los Lunas, where the Demons made just 15 of 24 attempts.
“If we turn half of those misses into makes [against Capital], we’re up 23, 24 instead of 19,” Cole said.
Despite the Demons’ hiccups, Capital never could mount much of an offensive attack. The Jaguars needed a layup by Anthony Alvez with 3 seconds left in the first half to reach double figures, as they trailed 29-10 at the break.
Alvez had seven of his team’s points in the first half, and finished with 16 overall. P.J. Lovato led Santa Fe High with 17 points.
The rivalry gets a three-day break before the teams play again Tuesday. The back-toback games occurred after the Jan. 28 game was postponed due to a snowstorm.
“It kinda puts us in a weird situation,” Cole said. “At least we get to talk about those things [Monday] that we need to work on to get ready for them again.”