For the fourth time in the last six years, Del Norte knocked Española Valley High School out of the playoffs.
Now in three of those years, they were a double-digit seed winning on the road, though this year they were ranked lower after missing their leading scorer for half of the season.
That streak continued when the defending state champion No. 11 Knights took down the No. 3 Sundevils 55-38 on Tuesday, in Española, to advance to the state semifinals and send Española home.
Defense was the story of the first half. Neither team scored in the first three minutes, but a late score put the Knights ahead 11-8 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, Española held Del Norte to just six points, taking a 19-17 lead into the locker room.
But the third quarter changed the tide of the game as Del Norte scored 13 straight points. Española struggled on offense against their speedy opponents, and Del Norte forced turnovers leading to transition baskets and 27 points in the quarter, grabbing a 15-point lead. As Española looked for momentum, the defense settled back into strong play, but the Knights stopped the Sundevils’ offense.
As Española tried to mount a comeback, Del Norte junior star Shane Douma-Sanchez, who finished with a game-high 19 points, knocked down a layup while getting fouled, stretching the lead to 18 in the final four minutes and all but ending the game.
Jayden “Jet” Martinez and Melaki Jones both scored 10 points to lead the Sundevils.
Players after the game were mad about fans leaving before the final buzzer, especially senior Garrett May — who missed the year with a knee injury but was with the team for every game.
The loss ended the career of a nine-member senior class, and was the first class that grew with now third-year coach Gabe Martinez.
“We’ve all been together since we were young,” said senior Justin Sanchez. “We fought through this together. We’re all family. We’re all going to start a new life somewhere else, we’re all going to be successful.”
Full story and season recap in March 17 Rio Grande SUN