Pecos shows Eunice how to run in dominating win
RIO RANCHO — Many teams have tried, many have failed, but the Eunice Cardinals were the latest to learn the harsh truth.
Don’t run with the Pecos Panthers. For most of the season, the Pecos Panthers had to find ways to get teams to play at their frenetic, breakneck pace. On Wednesday night in the Rio Rancho Events Center, the Cardinals obliged Class 2A’s top team by turning the hardwood into a track meet.
It took a 20-3 run in the second quarter for the Cardinals to change their strategy, but it was too late. Fueled by 23 turnovers, the top-seeded Panthers ran their way to their sixth consecutive 2A semifinal with a resounding 72-39 win. Pecos will take on No. 4 Albuquerque Menaul in a rematch of last year’s 2A championship game in The Pit at 11:30 a.m.
For once, the Panthers (26-3) weren’t facing questions about how teams didn’t want to run with them. They were happy to finally find a willing partner.
“It allows us to do more of what we’re comfortable with,” Pecos head coach Arthur Gonzales said.
Eunice (19-9) started off well, as it held an 11-8 lead on Ashton Thompson’s 3-pointer with 3:21 left in the opening quarter. And then, the wheels began to fall off the Cardinals’ souped-up vehicle. It started with a couple of turnovers, then a couple of misses. By the end of the quarter, Pecos had a 21-15 lead at the half. The Panthers then forced three turnovers to start the second quarter and the lead mushroomed to 29-15 on Gabriel Montoya’s breakaway layup with 6:02 left in the half.
The lead never fell under 14 the rest of the night. Pecos forced 23 turnovers on the night, and the lead grew from 36-21 at the half, to 53-31 heading into the fourth. Four players reached double figures for the Panthers, with Jodiah Gonzales scoring a team-high 19 points, followed by Aidan Holton’s 12.
NO. 3 TEXICO 70, NO. 6 ESCALANTE 57
The Lobos (20-8) stubbornly held on against the bigger, stronger, faster Wolverines, but the breaks wouldn’t go their way in a 2A quarterfinal.
Despite Texico (17-12) hitting 11 of its first 17 shots and forcing 20 Escalante turnovers by the 6-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the lead was only 57-51 when Greysen Horan scored on a layup with 6:20 left in the game. Then, leading scorers Jahvon Askew and Cade Figg fouled out. No matter, Alex Fuentes scored 20 points, most of them in transition as the Wolverines pushed the pace, thanks to 28 Lobos turnovers overall.
Escalante head coach Isaac Royston said that made a huge difference down the stretch.
“That’s 28 possessions in which we don’t get a shot,” Royston said. “That’s probably 14 points we lost out on because we’re not getting a shot.”
Tomas Atencio led Escalante with 17 points, while Greysen Horan added 16.