Jaguars, Panthers to play for title
It will be an all-cat final for the Al Armendariz Tournament in the boys basketball division.
The host Capital Jaguars dominated Pojoaque Valley in fashioning a 61-29 win Friday night in Edward A. Ortiz Memorial Gymnasium.
Meanwhile, the Pecos Panthers needed a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to put away a pesky Española Valley squad, 49-37, to advance to the championship game for the first time. Game time is 7 p.m. Saturday.
SEMIFINALS CAPITAL 61, POJOAQUE VALLEY 29
Things didn’t start looking bad for the Elks until the second quarter. Pojoaque led 8-3 early before
Capital scored 12 of the next 14 points to take a 15-10 lead. That was merely a warmup for the second quarter where the Jaguars exploded for 20 points. Pojoaque’s answer? A D.J. Jaramillo 15-footer with 6:02 left in the second quarter. It wasn’t near enough as Capital (4-2) took a 35-12 lead into the locker room.
Izaya Sanchez-Valencia led the Jaguars’ attack with 23 points, while Isaac Ortega had 11. Santiago Bencomo, who had 27 points in Thursday’s 79-44 win over Tohatchi, did not play due to a left ankle injury.
Jaramillo led the Elks (5-2) with 11 points.
PECOS 49, ESPAÑOLA VALLEY 37
The Sundevils turned the game into a defensive battle, and even led 13-7 early in the second quarter before going scoreless the rest of the opening half. That allowed Pecos (4-0) to take a 16-13 lead at the break and a 30-28 margin heading into the fourth.
Española (1-6) tied it at 30-all 20 seconds into the final quarter, but did not score again until Nathan Chacon hit a free throw with 3:22 left. The Panthers scored 12 unanswered points. Joshua Gonzales scored eight of his team-best 15 points in the quarter to lead Pecos, while Jodiah Padilla added six in that span.
Chacon led the Sundevils, who will play Pojoaque for third place at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, with 11 points and Jayden Martinez had all eight of his points in the second half.
CONSOLATION AZTEC 67, GRANTS 65
The Tigers are winless no more, scoring 39 points in the second half to overcome a 35-28 halftime deficit in the opening consolation round game. Jedidiah Jones exploded in the fourth quarter for 10 points as Aztec outscored the Pirates 20-19.
Grants had a chance to tie the score in the final seconds, but Dominick Gonzales’ runner fell short.
Jones and Nathan Shakar each led Aztec (1-6) with 17 points. Noah Victorino had 18 points to pace the Pirates (1-3), while Gonzales and Boudy Melonas each scored 12.
KIRTLAND CENTRAL 70, TOHATCHI 49
The Broncos outscored the Cougars 21-6 in the fourth quarter for the win and reach the consolation championship against their fellow District 1-4A foes. Satchel Hoque led Kirtland Central (4-3) with 23 points, Jarvis Mullahon added 11.
Talon Long scored 11 points to lead Tohatchi (5-3), and Kyle Yazzie added eight.
Tohatchi will take on Grants for seventh place at 9:30 a.m.