If the early season is any indication, the battle in the District 3AA boys basketball will be just as heated as ever.
McCurdy, Questa, Peñasco and Mesa Vista will be fighting each other to be one of the two teams that advance to state tournament play.
McCurdy appears to be the weakest member of this group. The Bobcats have finished in last place in the district the last four seasons since they won the district title in 2004. Nevertheless, every year the Bobcats manage to knock off a district opponent during the regular season and be a factor in who hosts a playoff game in the district tournament.
The Bobcats are 1-2 on the season so far, with a 79-50 loss Nov. 25 to Bosque School and a 54-45 loss Nov. 28 to Dulce after an opening-game win Nov. 21 against East Mountain.
Bosque, a member of District 8AA, showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with in Class AA. With a lineup that features 6-foot-9 Ryan Schaeffer and 6-foot-5 Aaron Gjullin, Bosque dominated the inside against McCurdy.
McCurdy’s leading scorer against Bosque was 5-foot-10 senior forward Isaac Montoya, who wasn’t afraid to drive inside against Bosque. Montoya poured in 24 points. Senior guard Kevin Redman is another top scorer for McCurdy. Redman, a star receiver on McCurdy’s football team. missed the first two weeks of basketball practice because he was still playing football. He is very quick and can hit three-pointers.
Senior Bobby Garcia and freshman Gavin Cata are both stand 6-foot-1 and play the post for McCurdy. They were overwhelmed by Bosque, but should do better against the other members of District 3AA, who are not as tall as Bosque. Junior 6-foot Justin Chavez fills in at the post as well as forward, while 5-foot-9 junior Ryan Bustos handles the point for McCurdy.
Mesa Vista is 3-1 on the season after losing 69-61 to Pojoaque (see related story).
The Trojans are the defending district champion and are coming off a 26-3 season.
They will be participating in three straight tournaments to finish this calendar year. They will defend their tournament titles at the Grizzly Shootout and at the Tularosa Basin Classic.
Mesa Vista may get another shot at the Pojoaque Elks when both teams play in the Ben Lujan Classic set for Dec. 18 to 20 in Pojoaque.
Peñasco is 1-1 after losing their season-opener to Taos Nov. 25 and beating Dulce 46-43 Nov. 29 in Peñasco.
The Panthers return the district’s best point guard in senior Joseph (Jo Jo) Gurulé and a rugged inside player in 6-foot-1 senior Brandon Gurulé.
Questa returns starters Diego Romero and Cruz Chavez at guard. Senior 6-foot-4 post Joseph Maes is the district’s tallest player. Despite consistently strong teams, including last year’s 21-5 team, Questa has been the odd-team out when it comes to the state tournament.
The Wildcats joined District 3AA in 2004-05 and have finished third in district play every season since behind Peñasco and Mesa Vista.