Mesa Vista and Peñasco had their matchup circled all season.
They just did not think it would happen so soon, in the tournament semifinals. But when they got together, the fireworks came out.
Mesa Vista (9-2) played perhaps their best basketball game of the season as they extended their winning streak to eight with a 76-70 win over Peñasco (7-5) in the Northern Rio Grande Tournament semifinals on Friday in Española.
“I saw the dog,” Mesa Vista coach Jesse Boies said. “These girls have prepped mentally, they’ve prepped physically. We’ve switched those gears.”
Bella Boies had a huge game for Mesa Vista, scoring 20 points — 18 in the first half as the team built a lead. She leads the state by a big margin with eight assists per game. Tana Lopez also had a big game with 30 points.
“Bella stepped up to her potential,” Jesse Boies said. “We’re going to need her to do what she did tonight if we’re going to go all the way.”
Rochelle Lopez paced the Lady Panthers with 25 points, and Analise MacAuley added 24.
Mesa Vista scored first, but Peñasco scored the next seven points. But Mesa Vista battled back, and led 21-19 after one quarter. They started hot in the second quarter, and by halftime led by 12, having added another 22 points in the second quarter.
“I was excited, I was ready to play,” Bella Boies said.
The Panthers started to battle back in the third quarter, but the Trojans answered with their own run, and went up by 13. Mesa Vista closed it out in the fourth quarter, not letting Peñasco mount a comeback, one they had pulled off multiple times in recent matchups with Mesa Vista.
Jesse Boies said the flu had made its way through his team, which contributed to a slow start against Escalante the day before. But they battled through for a strong win. They put up 76 points against the team ranked No. 4 in 2A in the most recent coaches’ poll (Mesa Vista is No. 2).
“When we’re above 60, we’re in our element,” Jesse Boies said.
Jesse Boies, a big Lakers fan and an admirer of Kobe Bryant, wants to bring the “mamba mentality” to his team.
“We celebrate tonight,” he said. “And then tomorrow morning, and then tomorrow morning … they’re ready to be better.”
Mesa Vista will battle Dulce in the finals on Saturday. That game is a rematch of a week ago, when Mesa Vista won 52-40 in the final of the Rumble in the Jungle tournament in Aztec. Last year, in the NRG final, Mesa Vista beat Dulce 68-53, though the Hawks won the final matchup between the two teams that year.
“I think we got it,” Bella Boies said. “If we play like how we played tonight … I think we’ll get it.”
Peñasco will face Pecos for third place.
Girls Semifinal Roundup
Dulce 55, Pecos 40
The Dulce Hawks (9-6) were locked in an intense battle with the Pecos Panthers (6-6). At least early on. A huge 17-5 third-quarter run, including a technical foul on Pecos, put them in control. By late in the fourth quarter, Dulce was up by 23, and let a group of freshmen play the final minutes. Alaina Vigil led the Hawks with 11 points. Natalia Stout scored a team-high 16, but half of those came in the fourth quarter, and Dulce successfully shut down Pecos’ top player for much of the game. Dulce reaches the final in their third tournament of the season, and for the second-straight year at NRG.
Boys Semifinals
Pecos 66, Mora 61
The Rangers (6-3) and Pecos (7-5) played a tight game all the way to the end, so intense that a fight almost broke out in the stands. But it was the defending champion Panthers that came away with the win. After falling behind, Pecos scored six straight points, and answered Mora’s runs. Kevin Vigil hit clutch free throws late in the game to seal the win.
Escalante 85, McCurdy 78
The last game of the day was one of the rowdiest, with both teams trading blows all the way. The Lobos (7-2) scored the game’s first points, but McCurdy (4-5) came right back and led in the second quarter. Escalante led through the second half, but McCurdy would answer back every time the Lobos started to pull away; in the fourth quarter, Escalante went up by 13, then McCurdy scored 10 straight. But the Bobcats could not quite close the gap at the end. Luka Torrez delivered 29 points in the win, 14 in the fourth quarter. Ryan Montoya scored 26 points to lead McCurdy, including 13 in the final quarter.
Girls Consolation
Escalante 40, Mora 35 (OT)
The Lady Lobos (4-7) struggled to get going until they most had to, but have now won three of their last four games. At the start of overtime, they quickly scored five straight points over Mora (4-5), then Adryana Ulibarri hit a 3-pointer to ice the game. Before that, Journey Trejo tied the game with 20 seconds left, and Escalante had an open layup for the win, but could not connect. Trejo led Escalante with 10 points; Charlee-Rose Lovato had nine for Mora.
Questa 47, McCurdy 29
Facing the team ranked No. 4 on MaxPreps entering the week, McCurdy (2-3) was seeking a big upset. Questa’s (7-3) bus arrived late, so they had to get off and go. Early in the second half, Mariana Arambula swished a free throw after a basket to tie the game at 20. But then the Ladycats woke up, and finished the game strong as McCurdy failed to close out and made too many mistakes. Kamryn Cardenas scored 17 points to lead Questa, while Arambula scored nine for McCurdy.
Boys Consolation
Mesa Vista 78, Dulce 51
The Trojans (3-4) were anxious to prove themselves after a heartbreaking loss in the first round, and they wasted no time in doing so. Mesa Vista jumped out to a 30-11 lead over Dulce (5-9) after one quarter, and spent much of the second half with a running clock. Jordan Gallegos finished the game with 22 points, 16 in just the first quarter. James Johnson led Dulce with 23.
Peñasco 74, Questa 35
The Wildcats (3-7) played strong early in the game, tied after the first quarter and looking like they would give a strong performance. But the Panthers (4-7) figured out what they needed to do, and pulled away with a 24-point second quarter and a 23-point third. Demarcus Lopez scored 19 points to help the Panthers pull away. Carlos Ortega led Questa with 12.