Fans were treated to some above-the-rim action July 31 during the Class AAAA-AAAAA North-South All-Star game at the Pit in Albuquerque.
Despite the spectacular skills of Hobbs’ Alan Tate, who led all scorers with 29 points and had several spectacular dunks, it was the pinpoint shooting and balanced scoring that helped the North prevail 117-101.
The North shot a sizzling 56 percent from the field, had seven players score in double figures and was led by Rio Rancho’s Marcus Williams who had 25 points, North shot a sizzling 56 percent from the field.
“We’re All-Stars,” Española Valley’s Mike Torrez, who finished with 16 points, said. ”We know we all can make the shot.”
The South took an early 19-11 lead that included a slam dunk by Tate off an alley-oop pass. The North answered with a 15-0 run that included six points by Torrez, who gave his team a 21-19 lead with a pair of free throws with 9:02 left in the first half. The North never relinquished the lead the rest of the game.
The South came back and the score at halftime was 44-39 in favor of the North. Another alley-oop dunk by Tate made the score 49-44 in the second half, but again the North answered, reeling off 12 unanswered points to take a 16-point lead.
The lead quickly evaporated as the South put together a 14-1 run that included six points by Goddard’s Jacob Lopez and a pair of three-pointers. St. Pius’ Chris Johansen finally stopped the bleeding with a basket, but a three-pointer by Roswell’s Michael Rubio made it a two-point game 64-62 with plenty of time left to play.
A pair of three-pointers by Albuquerque High School’s Emilio Andrade helped the North move ahead 75-68, but Tate brought his team back by burying a three-pointer that he followed with another rim-rattling dunk that made the score 75-73. The North brought back their starters, including Torrez.
A 10-point run finished off with a basket by Torrez put the North back in control. Torrez stayed on the floor for the final 12 minutes of the game and scored the basket that broke the century mark for the North.
The game ended with Tate throwing down one more final dunk.
For Torrez, it was a better way to end his high school career in the Pit than his last regular high school game March 13, when the Sundevils lost to Albuquerque Academy and were knocked out of the Class AAAA state tournament.
“It was a good experience, the best playing against the best,” he said after the All-Star game.
Despite being District 2AAAA player of the year the past two season’s and leading the Sundevils to a sparkling 28-2 record this season, Torrez has attracted little attention from colleges and his future plans do not revolve around basketball.
“It’s time to get an education,” Torrez, who plans to attend Northern New Mexico College this fall, said.