The team’s coaches tried to hide from Lucas Martinez how many points he had in his career, and how close he was to 1,000. Avoid a distraction.
“We’ve kept it away from him, that way he wouldn’t know when it was going to happen,” said McCurdy coach Ernesto Espinoza.
But Martinez, a longtime team leader, said he already knew.
“I added up my points a couple weeks ago,” he said. “I knew that I was pretty close, and I figured I’d get it this tournament.”
Martinez reached the mark as part of a 20-point effort in a McCurdy (4-4) win over Mesa Vista (2-4) in the first round of the Northern Rio Grande Tournament on Thursday, taking the win 70-68. After hitting 1,000 points, it was a non-scoring play that was his most important.
After missing a crucial free throw (going one of two), Martinez and McCurdy gave the Trojans a chance to tie or take the lead with 13 seconds left. But Martinez jumped into a passing lane, grabbing the ball to seal a victory.
“He read it perfect,” Espinoza said. “That’s just a guy that has experience, and he sees stuff.”
The game was as exciting and high-scoring as it was expected to be. A year ago, the two teams met in the district semifinal game, and Mesa Vista won 90-82. Basketball is a game of runs, they said, and this game was an exemplar.
“We’ve been working on the fourth quarters,” Espinoza said. “How to handle that when we have a lead, if we’re down. It came down to the preparation that we did.”
Mesa Vista scored the game’s first points, and jumped out early to a big lead. Jordan Gallegos had a big start, and Andres Valdez hit a 3-pointer to go up 16-6.
Then McCurdy answered with their own big run. Ryan Montoya hit three 3-pointers, and McCurdy took the lead back by the end of the first quarter, ultimately making a 19-4 run. Judah Duran hit a buzzer beater at halftime to put the Bobcats up 36-35.
McCurdy continued with a strong run in the second half, as Martinez caught fire. He scored 12 points in just the third quarter, as the Bobcats scored 25 overall. At one point, they led by 16, starting the half on a 14-5 run.
“I just wanted to take a lead, as a team we needed to take a lead,” Martinez said. “Get the game under control.”
Then, Mesa Vista started to come back. They scored four straight to end the third quarter, then six straight to start the fourth. McCurdy center Jeremaya Roybal was in foul trouble much of the game, forcing Cruz Martinez to play big minutes in the post.
Mesa Vista came all the way back, and tied the game with under a minute remaining. Judah Duran hit one-of-two free throws to give McCurdy the lead back. After a Trojan miss, Martinez hit one more, then stole the ball on the game’s final possession.
Montoya led the Bobcats with 23 points, and Martinez scored 20.
Other local players have recently celebrated their 1,000th point. Tana Lopez of Mesa Vista girls and Analise MacAuley of Peñasco both hit the mark in the last week of 2023. Lopez, a junior, has a chance to climb further.
Boys Tournament
Mora 54, Peñasco 51
Peñasco (3-7) sought what would have been the day’s biggest upset, and came quite close to it. They led most of the way to the end. But Mora (6-2) continued their strong start to the season, pulling away at the end. They hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining, and the Panthers were unable to get a clean inbounds on the other end.
Pecos 73, Questa 32
The three-time defending tournament champion Panthers (7-5) continued their winning ways at the NRG Tournament, easily defeating the Wildcats (3-6) in a dominant victory. The Panthers went up 36-8 after one quarter, and cruised to the finish line. Joshua Gonzales scored 17 points for Pecos, all in the first half. Questa was led by Antonio Romero’s 13.
Escalante 67, Dulce 37
The Hawks (4-9) kept the game close early on, but it was the bench for Escalante (6-2) that really pulled the game away. The Lobos led by nine at halftime, but outscored Dulce 34-13 in the second half. Adamacio Bustamante and Luka Torrez scored 10 points to lead Escalante, while Jamian Vicenti scored 12 for Dulce.
Girls Tournament
Peñasco 58, Mora 15
The Lady Panthers (7-4) cruised from the very beginning. While Mora (4-4) finished last year with just seven players and on a nine-game losing streak, having 10 on the roster this year gives them a leg up with a stronger start than they have had in a while. But they were no match for Peñasco, led by 13 points from Alyssa Atencio and three others in double figures. Freshman Julieanna Duran led Mora with six points.
Dulce 50, McCurdy 31
McCurdy (2-2) is used to losing games by big margins in recent years at the NRG Tournament. But despite going down early, the Lady Bobcats kept fighting through the end, and kept the game to a respectable margin. Dulce (8-6) proved a strong team after facing tough competition at tournaments throughout December. Bailey Vigil scored 24 points to lead the Hawks, while McCurdy was led by Isabella Archuleta’s 12.
Pecos 50, Questa 38
At first, it looked like a pure rout. After one quarter, Pecos (6-5) led 22-5. But Questa (6-3) was determined to make it a game, and were within striking distance by late in the game. But Pecos did just enough to hold off for a double-digit win. Larycia Sena led Pecos with 14 points, while Kamryn Cardenas scored 14 to lead Questa.
Mesa Vista 67, Escalante 51
The No. 2-ranked in 2A Lady Trojans (8-2) came out slow, but did just enough to pull away late for a win over the eighth-seeded Lady Lobos (3-7). Mesa Vista went up big early in the game, but Escalante kept it close, and took the lead in the third quarter on Hannah Lopez’s layup. That was the wake-up call Mesa Vista needed, and they finished strong, led by 21 points from Shanae Silva.Escalante’s top scorer was Ashley Gilmore with 12.