The Española Valley Sundevils couldn’t prevent the Hobbs Eagles from doing what they do best Jan. 24 when the Eagles made their first trip to Española Valley High School to take on the Sundevils in front of 3,000 fans.
The result was a 61-53 victory for the visitors from southeastern New Mexico and a sobering loss for the Sundevils.
“This team is a lot different than a lot of Hobbs teams,” Hobbs coach Russ Gilmore said. “We don’t have good shooters. They pound the glass and guard at half court.”
Senior guard Donovan Maldonado didn’t hesitate to answer when asked what was the deciding factor in the game.
“Boards,” he said. “That and mistakes. Against a team like Hobbs, you have to be on the dot.”
The Eagles pounded the offensive glass, snatching more than a dozen offensive rebounds in the second half and scoring inside on putbacks.
“You can’t give a team like Hobbs a second chance,” Española coach Richard Martinez said.
The Eagles used both of their strengths to fashion a 9-2 lead in the first quarter.
A steal — at half court — and a layup by Daniel Salazar, followed by a pair of baskets inside by 6-foot-5-inch, 230-pound Juhreese Thompson fueled the run.
The Sundevils came back behind their defense and point guard Matt Brito, who returned to the starting lineup after recovering from the flu. Brito had five first-quarter points, and Española trailed 13-9 heading into the second quarter.
The Sundevils surged in front doing one of the things they do best — knocking down three-pointers. Maldonado started the second quarter with a long bomb. Ryan Salazar followed with another and Maldonado canned his second three-pointer to give Española its first lead of the game 18-16 with 6:28 left in the second quarter.
Unfortunately, after that flurry of three-pointers, the Sundevils would not sink another.
Hobbs answered with two baskets inside, one by Thompson and another by his backup, Londus Franklin. Española responded by forcing a pair of turnovers that led to layups by Daniel Archuleta. Brito canned a pair of free throws to give the Sundevils a 24-20 lead, their biggest of the game.
The surprising Sundevils led 28-27 at halftime.
Hobbs senior Josh Sanders fueled a run by Hobbs, scoring the Eagles first six points of the second half. The Eagles led 36-31 after a three-pointer by Shelby Reeves.
The Sundevils came back with a 6-0 run that started with a pair of free throws by Brito. Luis Alvarado and Gabe Rodriguez followed with back-to-back putbacks as the Sundevils created a pair of transition opportunities with turnovers. The Sundevils took a 37-36 lead.
Sanders, who sank a pair of free throws in the 2008 Class AAAAA state championship game that gave the Eagles their 17th state title, provided the spark that elevated the Eagles into the lead. The senior stole a Sundevils pass and sank a layup. He followed with three offensive rebounds and a pair of free throws, fueling an 8-0 Eagles run that gave Hobbs a 44-37 lead. The Eagles would never trail again.
Trailing 46-40 going into the fourth quarter, Española cut the lead to a single point 47-46, but Sanders fueled another Hobbs’ run. He sank a free throw that started a 7-0 run that gave the Eagles a 54-46 lead.
A basket by Alvarado cut the Hobbs lead to 57-51 with 1:43 left in the game, but Sanders rebounded a missed free throw by teammate Nick Gilmore and scored on a putback to give the Eagles a 59-51 lead. Hobbs held off Española for the victory and improved to 16-4 on the season.
Sanders finished with 16 points, 13 of which came in the second half.
“It was a great experience to play here,” Sanders said. “We’re a young team and playing in this type of atmosphere will help get us ready for state — if we make it there.”
Brito led the Sundevils with 18 points. Alvarado added 11.
The Sundevils fell to 17-3 on the season, and Española is 2-0 in District 2AAAA. Española hosts Los Alamos, a District 2AAAA foe, Friday. The Hilltoppers are led by 6-foot-11-inch junior Alex Kirk. He could present a problem in the paint and on the boards for the Sundevils.
“This will give us a good feel for Los Alamos,” Martinez said.
Maldonado, despite his disappointment with the loss, said the game against Hobbs will help the Sundevils.
“It was a great experience to play against Hobbs,” he said. “More boards, less mistakes, that’s what we’ll work on.”