Mesa Vista Trojans win 9th in a row, Escalante snaps losing skid and McCurdy gets back above .500
Week 8: New Mexico 2A District 5 High School Hoops Recap
January 16th - January 20th
Twelve games on the schedule this past week for 2A District 5. This was the last week of non-district game for District 5 teams.
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| Escalante's Jayden Salazar drains a three early in their game versus Dulce. |
Tuesday, January 16th
Mora, New Mexico
Cimarron Rams - 63
Mora Rangers - 49
This game was originally scheduled for January 11th, but was rescheduled because of bad weather. This was the home opener for the Mora Rangers. They came into this game in third place in District 2, with a 6-4 record. Rams team that came into the game in first place of Class A District 5 and with a 9-2 record.
After winning by fourteen points, Cimarron now has wins over 2A District 5 teams Mesa Vista, Questa and Penasco and now Mora, this season. Mora’s next game was on Thursday, January 18th in Santa Rosa, as part of the Santa Rosa Lions Classic Tourney versus the Tularosa Wildcats.
Tuesday, January 16th
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Escalante Lobos - 45
ATC Phoenix (Santa Fe) - 54
Another big non-district game this season for the Lobos to start the week with, on the road against ATC in Santa Fe. The ATC Phoenix are an outstanding 2A District 2 team that came into the game against Escalante with a 11-2 record.
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| Jordan Apodaca finishes the drive and draws a foul for ATC, in the second half versus Escalante. |
ATC led after the first quarter, 19-10. The Lobos came back in the second quarter, cutting the lead to two, 23-21. ATC led 38-31 after the third. The Lobos made a run in the fourth, bringing the lead down to four, 49-45. With 1:45 on the clock, and possession of the ball, the Lobos were called for traveling. ATC made several free throws to extend the lead to nine points and finish the game off.
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| Jayden Salazar hits a mid-range fade away to keep the Lobos close in the second half versus ATC. |
ATC’s outstanding pair of Forwards led the way for the Phoenix. Julian Bernardino scored 22 points. Rocky Miller scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for ATC, also. These two are a big reason that ATC has their sights on a championship. Luka Torrez played well for Escalante as usual, scoring 21 points and grabbing 7 rebounds by my count.
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| Julian Bernadino puts the icing on the cake for ATC with a dunk on the baseline versus Escalante. |
After the loss, Escalante had dropped three games in a row, and four of their last five, with a record of 8-6 on the season.
Tuesday, January 16th
Pecos, New Mexico
Mesa Vista Trojans - 55
Pecos Panthers - 48
This is a game that was rescheduled from the middle of December because of weather. When I saw this game on the schedule, the first question I had was if Pecos had anyone that could stop Mesa Vista big man Jordan Gallegos? No one else can seem to. The Panthers are a fast team that can run, but they don’t have the size inside that Mesa Vista does.
Pecos had a 6-0 record against 2A District 5 teams, including wins over Mora, McCurdy, Questa, Mora again at the NRGT and Escalante twice, before this game. Would the Trojans be the District 5 team that knocked off the defending 2A state champs?
The Trojans led 21-18 in the second quarter, before a three pointer from Tony Manzanares. This one appeared to be neck and neck throughout. Mesa Vista held the lead in the fourth quarter before winning by three possessions.
Mesa Vista improved to 9-4 on the season and had a seven-game winning streak. The Trojans have also won nine of their last ten games, with the only loss coming by just two points versus McCurdy at the NRGT. Mesa Vista appeared to be hitting their stride at just the right time, with only two more non-district games before the official district portion of the schedule begins.
Wednesday, January 17th
Questa, New Mexico
Cimarron Rams - 85
Questa Wildcats - 27
Another tough non-district opponent for the Wildcats as they hosted the outstanding Class A Cimarron Rams on Wednesday night. The Rams won over Mora the previous night.
Report from Coach Rael was that the Wildcats couldn’t buy a bucket on an off shooting night. To be fair, I’m not sure there are many teams that match up well with Cimarron. The Rams are an outstanding team. This is the second win over Questa for Cimarron. The Rams are 5-0 now versus 2A District 5 opponents this season. With the loss, the Wildcats fell to 3-11 on the season.
Thursday, January 18th
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
Mighty Lion Basketball Classic Tournament
Tularosa Wildcats - 50
Mora Rangers - 43
The Rangers had their work cut out for them, opening the tournament against the 11-1 Tularosa Wildcats from 2A District 3. Tularosa was the number one ranked Class 2A team in the state of New Mexico coming into this game. This was also the first meeting with the Tularosa Wildcats by any 2A District 5 team this season. This Tularosa team is one that will be trouble down the road for anyone they face in the state playoffs this year.
It looks like the Rangers kept it close, but weren’t able to hang with the Wildcats late in this one. With this loss, Mora had dropped four games in a row. The Rangers were 6-6 on the season, after this game.
Thursday, January 18th
Ojo Caliente, New Mexico
ECAOGCA Eagles (Albuquerque) - 52
Mesa Vista Trojans - 62
After a big win on the road against the Pecos Panthers, Mesa Vista played their first home game in Ojo Caliente since the season opener on December 1st, versus Cimarron. The ECAOGCA Eagles were 1-1 against Penasco coming into this game; the only District 5 team they’ve faced so far this season.
The Trojans won by ten points in this one. With the win, the Trojans improved to 10-4 on the season. The win streak was up to eight games after this win.
2024 Mighty Lion Basketball Classic Tournament Bracket
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| The Mora Rangers advanced to the Consolation Championship game versus Tucumari. |
Friday, January 19th
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
Mighty Lion Basketball Classic Tournament
Estancia Bears - 28
Mora Rangers - 71
Mora’s second game of this past weekend came against the Estancia Bears from 2A District 2. The Bears were 4-8 coming into this game, after a loss in their opening game of the weekend versus Fort Sumner/House.
Even though Mora appeared to be the favorite in this game, this looked like it could be a matchup problem for the Rangers, with Estancia’s big man Justin Rubio in the paint. Rubio is an outstanding Junior Forward that came into the game averaging 15.6 points per game this season. In their opening game of the season versus fellow 2A District 5 team Escalante, Rubio scored 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
Turns out I was wrong. Mora won by forty-three points, and snapped a four-game losing streak. The Rangers improved to 7-6 on the season, with the next game coming against the Tucumari Rattlers..
Friday, January 19th
Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico
Dulce Hawks - 35
Escalante Lobos - 39
These two teams played each other just fifteen days earlier at the NRGT. Since that match up, the Lobos have a 2-4 record, which included a three-game losing skid. Would the Lobos be able to right the ship against this Dulce team?
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| Gumicindo Deyapp hits a three in the first half for the Lobos versus Dulce. |
Escalante started this game off better than their last few, leading 17-11 at the end of the first. The Lobos started the game off with two three pointers. Dulce got a good first quarter from their outstanding Senior Forward, James Johnson, scored 9 points in that first quarter.
Escalante had an eight-point lead at the half, 26-18. It felt like Dulce was never quite out of this game. James Johnson continued to play well for the Hawks in the third quarter, making several steals on the perimeter and taking them the other way for points. One of those was a dunk that set the Dulce fans off for a solid half minute. There was a definite momentum shift after that play.
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| This week's "Tip of the Hat" award goes to Dulce's James Johnson for this dunk that set the crowd off. |
The Lobos still led 38-28, after a three by Sophomore Shooting Guard Damien Baeza to end the quarter. Baeza finished with 9 points and has been a good player for Escalante this year, shooting well from the outside for the Lobos. Luka Torrez led the way for the Lobos with 15 points. Even in games where the Lobos have trouble generating offense, Torrez is the one consistent option they can turn to for points.
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| Luka Torrez finishes a drive down the lane, early in the second half versus Dulce. |
In the fourth, the Lobos struggled offensively. The Hawks pulled to within three points, after a three-point shot by Aljae Dixon, with 1:55 left on the clock. Dixon played big for Dulce also in this game, making several steals and finishing for points. Dulce had possession with 1:30 left, and still within three, before not getting off a great shot. The Lobos held on after hitting a free throw to end the game and extend the lead to a two possession game.
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| Dulce's Aljae Dixon makes a steal and finishes for two points, early in the third quarter versus Escalante. |
It might not have been pretty, but a win is a win; especially for an Escalante team that’s trying to keep up with Mesa Vista for the District lead this season. The Lobos improved to 9-6 on the season, and are in second place in 2A District 5 at the end of the week.
Saturday, January 19th
Clayton, New Mexico
Questa Wildcats - 31
Clayton Yellowjackets - 65
Questa’s next game was on the road in Clayton. The Yellowjackets had a 5-11 record and were 1-0 on the season versus 2A District 5 opponents this season, with a win over Penasco in December.
Questa got off to a sluggish start offensively, down 16-4 after the first quarter. Antonio Romero scored 8 points for Questa in the second quarter, but Clayton held onto a thirteen-point lead, with the score 29-16. Romero finished the game with 12 points.
The Yellowjackets came out hot in the third quarter, extending their lead to 54-20. Clayton continued to pour it on in the fourth, winning by thirty-four points. This was a game where the Wildcats never seemed to find a rhythm offensively. Thanks to KLMX for their radio call of the game.
With the loss, the Wildcats fell to 3-12 on the season. This was Questa’s last non-district game of the season before starting their official district games schedule, when they host McCurdy next week on Tuesday, January 23rd. Questa’s last win over McCurdy came on January 29th, 2022.
Saturday, January 20th
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
Mighty Lion Basketball Classic Tournament (Consolation Championship Game)
Tucumari Rattlers - 60
Mora Rangers - 45
The Rangers last game of the weekend came against the 3A District 4 Tucumari Rattlers. Tucumari’s record was 5-7 coming into this game. Mora came into this game after a big win over Estancia.
That momentum from the Estancia win did not carry over for the Rangers. With the loss, the Mora Rangers fell to 7-7 on the season and have dropped to fourth place of 2A District 5.
Saturday, January 20th
Sandia Park, New Mexico
McCurdy Bobcats - 65
East Mountain Timberwolves - 24
McCurdy had the whole week off after an appearance at the Brave Invite Tourney at the Santa Fe Indian School the previous weekend, before taking the trip down to Sandia Park on Saturday. The Timberwolves are from 3A District 5 and had a 5-8 record coming into this game.
McCurdy won big here, by forty-one points and climbed back over the .500 mark once again, with a record of 8-7. They are now in third place in 2A District 5. The Bobcats will begin their official district games portion of the schedule on Tuesday, January 23rd, in Questa to take on the Wildcats. McCurdy has won the last five meetings between the two teams.
Saturday, January 20th
Ojo Caliente, New Mexico
Jemez Valley Warriors - 33
Mesa Vista Trojans - 74
This was the final non-district game of the season for the Trojans. The Jemez Valley Warriors were 0-2 against 2A District 5 opponents before this game, having lost to Penasco and McCurdy.
Mesa Vista won big, by forty-one points, in this one. With the win, the Trojans improved to 11-4 on the season and remained in first place of 2A District 5. Mesa Vista is one of the hottest teams in Northern New Mexico basketball right now, let alone in Class 2A.
This is a team that is cruising. They’re beating the teams they’re supposed to beat and beating good teams like Pecos. It couldn’t come at a better time for MV, going into their district games this upcoming week. They’ve extended their winning streak to nine games currently, and have won eleven of their last twelve.
Mesa Vista will play their first official district game against McCurdy, on the road in Espanola, on Thursday, January 25th. This is a big one to start district play. McCurdy is the one team that has beaten Mesa Vista in their last twelve games, winning 70-68 at the NRGT. The Trojans are probably looking forward to this one. I hope McCurdy has fixed their live stream. The public wants to watch this game.
Current 2A District 5 Standings
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| Mesa Vista remains in first place of 2A District 5, after their nineth win in a row. |
As always, any notifications of any mistakes or needed corrections are very welcomed at cwmartinsports@gmail.com.
For more coverage of 2A District 5 and other Class 2A teams, as well as teams from around the state of New Mexico throughout the season, including recaps and game highlights, please visit cwmartinsports.blogspot.com and youtube.com/CWMartinSports.
All footage and photos come courtesy of nfhsnetwork.com.
For the second week in a row, here is another song from the Blue Ventures to take us out. Thanks again for reading.
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