After losing nine seniors, the year was always going to be a challenge for Pecos.
But after a slower start to the season, they began rolling. And heading into their January tournament, they might be nearing full strength.
“These guys have been practicing with a lot of those great teams that we’ve had in the past,” said Pecos Coach Arthur Gonzales. “The culture is in the right spot right now. Everyone in Pecos wants their opportunity to go out there and compete.”
The defending state champion Pecos Panthers (9-5) won their fourth-straight Northern Rio Grande Tournament on Saturday in Española, dominating Escalante (7-3) 78-46 in the final on Jan. 6. They had to fight to the finish for a 66-61 win in the semifinal over Mora (6-4), but cruised through the final. Escalante will look to rebound after the big loss, despite two impressive wins earlier in the tournament.
“This is a great environment up north,” Gonzales said. “This is the best of the best up north.”
Pecos scored first, and quickly jumped out to a 6-0 lead, then 18-8. Throughout the game, their quick pace and aggressive defense forced Escalante to get sped up on offense, while the Panthers were able to play patiently once they had the ball.
Escalante found a rhythm in the second quarter, scoring the first nine points to get within three. But then Pecos finished with an 11-point halftime lead, and they led by 16 after three quarters.
For the fourth quarter, after relying heavily on starters early in the game, Escalante coach Isaac Royston opted to keep the second string in for the whole fourth quarter, hoping for some kind of spark. But they could not keep pace on defense, and Pecos scored easy layups, and won that quarter 23-7, piling up to a 32-point lead.
“This was supposed to be a stepping stone for us to see exactly where we were at,” Royston said. He called the game an, “Old-fashioned butt whooping.”
The Lobos won easily in the first round, defeating Dulce (5-10) 67-37, led by 10 points from Adamacio Bustamante.
Bustamante again was strong in the semifinal, an 85-78 thrilling win over McCurdy (5-5).
In that game, Escalante led 37-31 at halftime. McCurdy was able to stay in the game despite not hitting outside shots at their normal rate by forcing turnovers.
Throughout the game, Escalante would open a lead but not fully pull away, while McCurdy kept mounting comebacks while failing to take the lead. The game seemed over after Luka Torrez’s four-point play in the fourth quarter made it a 13-point lead. But McCurdy answered with 10 straight.
Ryan Montoya hit two-straight 3-pointers for the Bobcats late, getting them to within two points. But Escalante had just enough to finish with the win.
Bustamante came off the bench for a 10-point second quarter, and played strong throughout the weekend, despite entering the tournament with less than four points per game.
“He’s really, really stepped it up,” Royston said. “He’s really coming around, coming into his own.”
Escalante travels to Cuba (5-8) for their next game after press deadline Tuesday, then on Friday hosts Sanford, Colo. (4-4).
“Now it’s time for all of us, coaches and players to dig down deep,” Royston said. “We still have 15 games in the season. We have five more games to get ready for district. We need to step up and get back to where we were at.”