It is sometimes better to have two stars and a group of solid complementary players than one superstar.
That is a lesson the Española Valley boys basketball team learned on its way to a thrilling 74-71 home victory Feb. 17 over Los Alamos. With the win, the Sundevils grabbed their fourth straight regular season District 2AAAA title and swept the district series between the two rivals.
While the Hilltoppers were led by 6-foot, 11-inch Alex Kirk and his 44 points, Española received a combined 42 points and some clutch play from point guard Rodney Coles and forward Luis Alvarado.
The game was a seesaw battle with each team grabbing double-figure leads at different points.
“We get a little bit more relaxed, they get a little bit more aggressive,” Española coach Richard Martinez said.
Los Alamos almost snuck out of Española with a victory on the back of Kirk, who scored seven points during Los Alamos’ 9-0 run that made the score 70-69 with 31 seconds left. Kirk scored most of his points inside and at the foul line where he went 20-for-20.
“He’s a big impact player,” Martinez said. “Pretty soon, I won’t be cheering against him, I’ll be cheering for him.”
A couple of Sundevil players felt that Kirk, a University of New Mexico recruit, may have gotten the benefit of the doubt from the officials.
“The officials called a lot of touch fouls,” Coles said.
For his part, Coles helped seal the victory by nailing four free throws in the last half-minute of the game. The Hilltoppers never had a chance to answer Coles’ final two free throws that gave Española a three-point lead, as they turned the ball over with five seconds left.
“I really try to focus on free throws,” Coles, who led Española with 22 points, said. “Missing them could change the game completely.”
Española had gotten off to a slow start, trailing 17-9 at the end of the first quarter and falling behind 26-11 midway through the second quarter. The Sundevils had also shot poorly and started slowly in a Feb. 13 loss to Hope Christian and suffered the same woes against Los Alamos, beginning the game by going 5-of-22 from the field.
“We weren’t hitting our shots at all,” Española post Gabe Rodriguez said. “I kept thinking, ‘We gotta hit our shots.’”
Coles initiated a 17-2 second-quarter run with a three-pointer. Kirk scored on a putback to give Los Alamos a 30-28 lead at halftime.
Luis Alvarado, who had just two points before halftime, started the third quarter with a three-pointer. After Los Alamos had taken a 36-31 lead, Española put together an 11-0 run capped by a Rodriguez three-pointer to take a 42-36 lead.
The Sundevils’ fortunes had improved when they switched defenses and fronted Kirk to prevent the entry pass, creating 15 turnovers during the second and third quarters.
“We made them throw over the defense,” Coles said. “We thought we could tip the pass, our teammates would pick it up and we’d be back on the break.”
Leading 46-43 heading into the fourth quarter, the Sundevils took a 54-50 lead after another Rodriguez three-pointer. His outside shooting drew Kirk out of the paint giving Española room to drive inside. A pair of layups by Alvarado gave Española a 69-60 lead. Alvarado finished with 20 points with 18 coming in the second half.
After Sundevil Juan Trujillo made a free throw to give Española a 10-point lead that set the stage was set for Los Alamos’ last-minute surge. Kirk scored seven points in the next 30 seconds for Los Alamos, but Española weathered the storm.
“I give my team credit for coming back and hitting those money shots,” Martinez said.
The Sundevils finished the District season with a 8-0 record by beating Bernalillo 74-34 Feb. 20 on the road.
Española will host the District tournament championship game Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Sundevils are ranked second statewide. They will likely host an opening round game and get a high seed in the state tournament, which starts March 5.