Hilltoppers end championship drought by beating Taos in title game
District 2-4A sending three boys teams to state tournament
The Taos Tigers learned they had been invited to the 2024 state basketball championships during the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) Seeding & Selection Show, which occurred Sunday (March 3). Brackets for each classification’s tournament were released to the public showing the current matchups, schedules and times for games slated to begin March 8.
The Taos Tigers clinched the number 11 seed after finishing the regular season with a 14-14 (0.500win percentage) overall record and second place in the district 2-4A tournament. The Tigers will travel to Artesia to take on the sixthranked Bulldogs Saturday (March 9). The Bulldogs earned a 17-8 (0.680) overall record and finished first in their respective district tournament. They also beat Taos on two occasions during regular season play in 2023-24.
District championship
With the advantage of location and an energetic throng of Taos fans on hand to witness another district championship win, the Tigers set out to claim the 2-4A crown at Otero Gymnasium Feb. 2. Making it through the fray of the end-of-season district tournament were the third-ranked Los Alamos Hilltoppers, who came to town for a showdown with coach Nando Chavez and his boys’ basketball squad for a second straight year.
Both teams were full of confidence after each of their respective wins over the highly regarded Española Valley Sundevils. The Los Alamos Hilltoppers beat the fifth-ranked Moriarty Pintos by a final score of 56-43 in the quarterfinal round Feb. 27. The Toppers followed up with a 57-55 triumph over the Sundevils in a semifinal shocker that came down to a game-ending “buzzer beater.”
The Tigers also defeated the Española Valley Sundevils during a tiebreaker game played at Los Alamos Feb. 25. As a result, Taos earned the top spot in the district and the privilege of hosting the tournament championship.
With all the bleachers pulled out, the band on hand to entertain the crowd and orange and black balloon clusters dotting the gym, fans responded to the late-season excitement and showed up to support their home team. Many Los Alamos fans were also in attendance and dominated an entire section of seats — hoping this third meeting would be the charm for their ascending Hilltopper team, who had lost the two previous games with Taos.
Final score: LA 57, Taos 44
All the hype and pre-game festivities, coupled with shooting struggles by Los Alamos, helped Taos jump out to an early advantage. A 10-2 run to end the first quarter, however, boosted the Hilltoppers, who grabbed the 14-11 lead on 6-for-6 free throw shooting. With their scoring woes repaired, the Los Alamos perimeter players hit a barrage of threepoint shots to extend their lead in the second period. At halftime, the score was 29-18 in favor of the Hilltoppers.
In the third stanza, Los Alamos continued their scoring jaunt while simultaneously hampering Taos’ offensive efforts. At one point, the Hilltoppers held a 16-point lead over the Tigers, who didn’t score their first points of the second half until the 4:16 mark. The trading of buckets in the remainder of the quarter helped Taos narrow the lead a bit, but a determined Los Alamos maintained control of the tempo, and continued hitting long-range shots to close out the quarter with a comfortable 44-31 edge.
With just eight minutes left in the game to make a move, the Tigers went on the attack and tried their best to close the gap. Optimistic fans saw Taos inch closer to tying the game in the beginning of the fourth quarter — coming within 7 points at the 6:36 mark.
Subsequent surges by Los Alamos, however, kept the Tigers from garnering any traction in the final period — resulting in a doubledigit loss for Taos.
Game notes
There were some interesting notes about the championship game. Notably, Los Alamos hit 11 three-point shots, which turned out to be over half of their total output for the night. One of those long-range shots was a buzzerbeater by junior Josiah Fresquez at the end of the second quarter — bolstering the Hilltopper’s lead and sending their fans into a frenzy.
A scuffle at the 2-minute mark in the fourth quarter between two opposing players led to a flurry of activity. Coaches had to separate the combatants, sending the Los Alamos fans into a frenzy. Ultimately, a technical foul was levied against the Tigers.
On two separate occasions, balloons began slowly drifting down from the ceiling onto the playing court, causing the referees to stop the game, wait for the weakening orbs to fall within reach and ultimately confiscate the disruptive dirigibles. In another instance, the game had to be halted due to a runaway basketball that dribbled out of the stands and onto the playing court. That ball was also confiscated and held for the remainder of the game.
This was Los Alamos’s first district championship for newly appointed head coach, DJ Bustos, who took over the team in midJanuary after Benito Maestas was let go. The boys’ basketball team ends a long district championship drought and joins the Lady Hilltoppers, who also claimed the 2-4A title in their respective tourney. It has been a banner year for Los Alamos High School, which has led the district in both boys and girls cross-country, volleyball, boys and girls’ soccer, and swimming.
State tournament info
In the opening round of the
state tournament, lower-seeded teams must travel to the higher seeds. District 2-4A, represented by Taos, Los Alamos and Española Valley, will be on the road for their opening round games and will play on March 9.
Number 16 Los Alamos will challenge the number one seed Valley High School (Albuquerque)
Vikings; while number 14 Española Valley will take on the number three Hope Christian (Albuquerque) Huskies. Both games are slated to begin at 6 p.m.
The margin of victory for Artesia over Taos was 7 points in the first game Jan. 12. One week later, Artesia beat Taos again in the third-place game of the Hope
Christian Tournament by 3 points Jan. 20. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Tickets for the game can be purchased online at the GoFan website. General admission is $12 for adults and $7 for students, seniors and military personnel. Class 4A boys will play the quarterfinal round at the UNM Pit March 13.