The Mesa Vista Trojans welcomed back Jaime Cruz Jr. into their lineup and put a week of swirling controversy and rumors behind them when they took the floor in a key District 3AA contest against the Questa Wildcats Feb. 6 at Mesa Vista.
Cruz Jr., who entered the game from the bench, led the Trojans with 21 points as Mesa Vista mauled the Wildcats 74-55 to improve to 2-0 in District 3AA and 19-3 overall.
“It’s better with Jaime back,” senior point guard Frankie Giron said. “It makes us harder to stop.”
The 6-foot-2-inch senior had missed the Trojans’ previous two games, both Mesa Vista victories (see related story).
Entering the game in the first quarter with the Trojans holding a 10-8 lead, Cruz Jr. showed little rust as he promptly nailed his first shot, a three-pointer. That was followed by a three-pointer by Giron, and the Trojans outscored the Wildcats 15-5 to take a 25-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Questa chipped away at the lead in the second quarter by outscoring the Trojans 18-14. The Wildcats trailed 39-31 at the end of the second half.
Cruz canned his third three-pointer of the game to start the third quarter as the Trojans began the second half with a 6-0 run. Mesa Vista’s full-court press continually created turnovers that led to breakaway layups. Jaryd Anderson, who had been moved into the starting lineup during Cruz’s absence, started a second 6-0 run with a steal and layup that gave the Trojans a 53-35 lead.
“Those are hustle possessions,” Mesa Vista coach Thomas Vigil said. “Possessions you shouldn’t have but you do because of hustle.”
Questa had defeated the Trojans last season 78-75 in Questa after the Wildcats trailed by 17 points going into the fourth quarter, but there would be no big comeback this time.
Mesa Vista Senior Adrian Coronado started the fourth quarter with a steal and layup. Coronado finished the game with 17 points and scored 10 of his total in the final quarter. The Trojans took their biggest lead of the game, 65-45, after a basket by Cruz.
Questa has finished third in District 3AA the last four years and fell to 0-2 in district play. The Wildcats will have three straight home games coming up on their schedule to try to get back in the district race. Questa is 14-8 overall.
For the Trojans, rumors that Cruz Jr. had left the team and wouldn’t return were put to rest.
“My kids are amazingly tough,” Vigil said. “All the negativity, trial and tribulation they’ve been through and they still keep going out and winning.”
The Trojans host Peñasco Wednesday (2/11) in their next district game. The Panthers are also 2-0 in district play. The Trojans defeated the Panthers twice during the pre-district season. But last season Mesa Vista also had two victories over the Panthers going into district play and Peñasco beat Mesa Vista the first time the teams met in districts.