A ‘trap game’ refers to when a favored team overlooks their opponent for tougher teams later in the schedule, while the underdog team comes in ready to play.
It seems like an apt identifier for how Española felt entering their matchup with Mesa Vista, a much smaller school from 30 minutes away. (According to New Mexico Activities Association numbers, Española has nearly 10 times as many students as Mesa Vista).
But 29 points from Jerek Duda saved the day as the Sundevils (2-3) escaped with a win against Mesa Vista (1-3) 71-63 on the first day of the Sundevil Shootout on Española’s home court on Dec. 7.
“I wasn’t very pleased with the way we won,” Española coach Joey Trujillo said. “We need to clean up some things, we need to play a little bit smaller.”
The game also featured Mesa Vista’s coach Thomas Vigil against Trujillo. Trujillo graduated from Mesa Vista, and later coached Vigil with the Trojans, and the two had previously coached together.
“I owe a lot to Coach Trujillo,” Vigil said. “The guys on that sideline I know really, really well. And I have nothing but love and respect for all of them.”
“It’s a bittersweet win,” Trujillo said. “I look at (Vigil) as a son sometimes. And hopefully I’ve helped him to become a better coach in his career.”
After the game, Española stayed for quite a while in the locker room.
Española’s regular starters stayed on the bench for a while at the start of the game.
And in that time, the Trojans jumped out to a 7-2 lead. By the end of the first quarter, Mesa Vista was up 16-12.
Española started to get back in the second quarter, tying the game on back-to-back 3-pointers by Duda, who had five total in the win. A late score by Mesa Vista gave them a 3-point lead at halftime.
The Sundevils retook the lead in the third quarter, and a Matthew Lovato dunk gave them momentum.
In the fourth quarter, an early and-one opportunity by Santiago Martinez, then a great assist by him, put Mesa Vista back in the lead. Duda added a 3-pointer late in the game. And with under a minute left, Jayden Duran iced the game for Española with a 3-pointer to put them ahead by seven.
“Mesa wanted to come out here and beat us, so we had to prove everyone wrong,” Duda said.
Duran scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.
“We were a little bit mentally tougher at the end,” Trujillo said. “That was the key, I think.”
Mesa Vista sophomore center Jordan Gallegos played great, battling hard with Española posts bigger than him. He finished the game with 26 points.
“I thought he held his own every bit,” Vigil said of Gallegos’ performance. “He was forced to handle the ball a lot more. Jordan’s a complete player, and he just continues to get better and better and better every single day. He’s a special one.”
Marcos Martinez scored 17 points. Mesa Vista was without starting guard Andres Valdez, who had a concussion, and fellow freshman
Roswell ultimately won the tournament, defeating Miyamura by 52, Mesa Vista by 19, and Española by 26.
Mesa Vista defeated Miyamura 68-49, and Española won over Miyamura 69-41.
Mesa Vista next plays on Friday at Pecos, and they face Cuba on Saturday. The Sundevils play Tuesday at Bernalillo, and against Capital on Thursday.
Girls Tournament
Throughout the girls matchup between Mesa Vista and Española Valley, there was a strong physicality and emotion in the game, as Española won 56-44.
The game featured players on both sides who were members of the 2021 Española C team that finished undefeated, commonly winning games by huge margins. Four players from that team — Bella Boies, Shanae Silva, Tasha Pacheco and Cameron Johnson — all now play for Mesa Vista.
The intensity was strong, especially early in the game. Silva had the game’s first score on the first possession, and they kept up a fast pace even while shots were not following. After one quarter, Española led 8-7.
The Lady Sundevils slowly started to pull away as Mesa Vista was sloppier than normal, and turned the ball over 31 times. Española went ahead 22-16 at halftime, and were up by 11 at the end of the third quarter before winning by 12.
“I think we just gained more confidence than what we had in the first,” junior Hailey Renteria said.
Alyanna Medina scored 10 points for the Sundevils, with seven of them coming in the second half. Aliya Rael-Lopez also scored 10, with three 3-pointers.
Tana Lopez led Mesa Vista with 14 points, while Kaelynn Trujillo had four points and 10 rebounds.
Roswell won the round robin tournament, defeating Miyamura 59-47, Mesa Vista 60-51 and Española 56-43. Mesa Vista beat Miyamura 74-54, and Española beat the Patriots 57-45. Lopez scored 30 points in both Mesa Vista’s second and third games.
Española’s girls have a tough game next against Gallup on Saturday at home.
“I expect us to continue to grow as a team,” Renteria said. “And bond together and win games.”