The Coronado Leopards wanted to let everyone know they’re headed to the Class AA state basketball tournament after their 76-55 win Feb. 19 over Escalante in Tierra Amarilla.
“We needed to prove to all of New Mexico that we’re coming,” Coronado’s senior point guard Patrick Cordova said. With the victory, the Leopards wrapped up the regular season District 2AA title with a 5-1 record and earned the right to host the District 2AA championship game Saturday in Gallina. For the second straight season, the Leopards secured a spot in the opening round of the state tournament, even though they represent the school with the lowest enrollment (97 students) in Class AA.
The Leopards jumped all over Escalante in the first quarter, taking a 15-1 lead. The Leopards used a full-court press to create several turnovers, and Cordova and Johnny Chavez capitalized by hitting three-pointers.
“Our defensive intensity was there, which was one thing we didn’t do when we played them before,” Coronado coach Ezau Rios said.
Coronado had defeated Escalante 56-53 Feb. 6 in Gallina. The Leopards’ lone district loss came to Navajo Prep Feb. 2 in Farmington. Escalante finished with a 3-3 record in District 2AA.
“We were not ready to play and that first quarter set the tone,” Escalante coach Milnor Manzanares said. “You spend the whole night catching up and you can’t do that against a strong team.”
Escalante rallied briefly at the end of the first quarter to trail 19-11 going into the second quarter. Coronado led 36-23 at halftime.
The Lobos opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run, but the Leopards quickly regrouped to put together an 8-0 run. Cordova and Pedro Valdez each scored four points during the run to put Coronado back into control.
“I was a little worried that some of the players would panic,” Cordova said. “We held up through it.”
Coronado came out smoking in the fourth quarter and took a 72-48 lead. Cordova continually found his teammates with long downcourt passes that ended in layups.
“His court vision is amazing,” Rios said.
Chavez led the Leopards with 22 points. Cordova had 17, Valdez 15 and Jason Velasquez 12 points for Coronado.
Eric Belser led the Lobos with 16 points, Belser and Coronado’s Jesse Chavez had been involved in an incident during the first game between the two teams in which Chavez allegedly directed a racial slur at Belser, an African-American. Despite fears of hostile feelings erupting at Escalante in the rematch, the game was played without incident.
Escalante will play Thursday (2/25) in the District 2AA semifinals against the winner of the quarterfinal game between Navajo Prep and Dulce. All the games in the District 2AA boys tournament will be played at Coronado.