Boys basketball
What happened: The Horsemen continued to make strides, dominating the Sundevils right from the start in jumping out to a 23-4 lead after a quarter of a nondistrict game Tuesday in Perez-Shelley Gymnasium. It was a 40-23 halftime score when St. Michael’s put the game away with a 24-7 scoring run to push the lead to 64-30. Horsemen head coach Gerard Garcia said hitting shots early in the game was crucial in setting the tone. “We need to hit our shots to get off to a strong start,” Garcia said. “We need to hit shots to set up our defense. If we don’t do that, we can’t set up our defense and that’s where we struggle.”
Top players: Kamal Stith led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points, while Reed Bass added 12 and Lucas Gurule had 11. The trio of Ryan Hunt, Santiago Sandoval and Nick Angelley each had 10. Jacob Schierloh led Sandia Prep with 16. What’s next: St. Michael’s (6-6) plays at Rio Rancho on Tuesday.
What happened: Just when the season hit the lowest point for the Jaguars, they are finding a pulse at the right time. Coming off a thrilling 72-66 win over Rio Rancho over the weekend, Capital held the Hilltoppers to just five points in the third quarter to turn a 34-24 halftime lead into a 49-29 advantage. The Jaguars did it with a balanced scoring attack, as nine players recorded a point in the second half.
Top players: Five players scored at least eight points, led by Elijah Rodriguez-Montaño’s 14. Jude Torres and Eli Dominguez each had nine. Ian Frazier scored nine points for Los Alamos.
What’s next: Capital (7-4) plays Albuquerque Academy at home Thursday. Los Alamos (3-7) plays host to Artesia on the same day.
What happened: The Elks showed what happens when they take care of the ball in a nondistrict game in Louis G. Sanchez Memorial Gymnasium. The Panthers only forced eight turnovers, and the dearth of transition opportunities showed. They failed to score for a 7-minute, 10-second stretch, which coincided with a 13-0 Pojoaque run to make the score 44-22 Elks in the third quarter. “It was a good defensive effort,” Elks head coach Ryan Cordova said. “We controlled the boards well and we only had eight turnovers. They stopped pressing us.”
Top players: Joziah Salazar had 14 points to lead the Elks, while Dalian Lopez and Serafin Mendez each added 10.
What’s next: Pojoaque (8-7) plays Aztec on Jan. 17. Pecos (9-6) plays at Peñasco on Thursday.
What happened: The nondistrict game against the Trojans started ugly, and it ended in the same fashion. Mesa Vista pressed its way to a 24-14 lead after a quarter and led 35-27 at the half. Prep used a 7-0 run midway through the third to tie the score at 37-all and even took a 52-51 lead with 5 minutes left in the game. Mesa Vista wing Jordan Gallegos’ three-point play ignited a 9-2 run that proved to be the difference.
Top players: Morgan Field led the Blue Griffins with 17 points, while Mitch Grover added 16 and Van Anderson added 11. Jordan Gallegos scored 23 points to lead Mesa Vista, while Marco Martinez added 15 and Santiago Martinez scored 12. What’s next: Both teams head to Santa Fe Indian School’s Braves Invite Thursday. Prep (5-5) plays Albuquerque Menaul at 8 a.m. Thursday, while Mesa Vista (5-4) takes on Albuquerque Sandia Prep at 11:30 a.m.