Anna Peña thought she was going to throw up.
With 1.4 seconds left, she headed to the free throw line in a tie game.
“It was the most pressure I’ve felt,” she said.
But the Mesa Vista senior guard rose to the occasion, and sunk both free throws, giving the Lady Trojans (7-0) a 48-46 win over Dulce (7-2) on Dec. 17 in the Ben Lujan Tournament championship in Pojoaque.
“We’re all really excited,” said senior forward Amarissa Quintana. “It was a tough game, but we all pulled it all at the game.”
In the second half, a deeper bench gave Mesa Vista an advantage, as their players had an extra burst having had more time to rest over the tough three-day tournament.
Mesa Vista started last year with ultimately a 9-0 start, and they won a bifurcated Ben Lujan Tournament while competing in the lower bracket, while players said it was a much more subdued atmosphere a year ago for the morning games.
But this year’s start feels different; coach Jesse Boies pushed for a stronger schedule, and seven of nine of Mesa Vista’s games have been against bigger schools, with the other two against Dulce — in their own right one of the top 2A teams. And they have still taken down everyone in their path.
“It feels so much more exciting this year,” Quintana said. “Last year, we didn’t really play much competition at the beginning. And this year, we’re actually showing that we can play with the bigger schools.”
Sophomore Tana Lopez was the star all weekend for the Lady Trojans, with 56 total points, including seven clutch points in the fourth quarter of the championship game.
“She brings a lot of excitement to our team,” Quintana said.
Dulce scored first in the final game, and stormed out to an early lead. By early in the second quarter, they led by 18, and held Mesa Vista to six points in the first quarter. Mesa Vista gained momentum just before halftime on a 3-point runner at the buzzer from Bella Boies, to trail by just four, which would end up as important points.
“It was an intense game from the get-go,” Jesse Boies said. “The intensity was amazing, the atmosphere was great.”
Mesa Vista charged into the lead in the third quarter with an offensive burst — they scored 19 points in the first half, but added 19 more in the quarter. But Dulce led for most of the fourth quarter, until Lopez hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Mesa Vista a lead at 45-42. The Trojans started running down the clock for the final two minutes, until a back-and-forth ending.
Bella Boies hit 1-of-2 free throws with 41 seconds left to give the Trojans a four-point lead, but Sidneyanne Becenti answered with a basket. After a missed free throw, Becenti scored again with five seconds left for the tie.
But Dulce made the mistake of a foul in the backcourt as time was running out in regulation, and the Trojans capitalized to come away with the win.
Lopez led the team with 20 points in the final, and Quintana had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Trojans defeated Crownpoint (7-5) in the semifinal, going up 14-4 in the first quarter, and leading by double digits for most of the game, while Lopez added another 20 points.
In the first round, they faced Moriarty (7-3), who figured to be a 4A contender as the top team in their district so far. But the Trojans scored the first nine points of the game, and led by 14 by halftime. Moriarty had looks on offense, and won a number of offensive rebounds, but continually missed layups throughout the game. The Pintos scored more than half of their points in the fourth quarter, after they had been trailing by 17; the Trojans had a great showing on defense.
“From the beginning, I knew we were in for a war,” Jesse Boies said.
Mesa Vista defeated Santa Rosa (5-2) at home Tuesday, while the Lions were also off to a great start and the No. 3 ranked team on MaxPreps.
“It’s only going to get tougher,” Peña said. “But we’re getting better as it goes.”