After Matthew Lovato’s 3-pointer put Española up by 15 points with four minutes left, fans started to file out.
“Where y’all going?” chanted a section of Española Valley students.
Little did they know, that was just the beginning of the game.
After a major comeback and three lead changes in the final minute, the Española Sundevils (10-13, 4-1 in district) pulled out a 58-57 road win against Pojoaque (10-13, 1-4) on Friday. The Sundevils stay in a tie for the lead in the district, while the Elks’ struggles continue in February.
“These kids have done that to me all year,” said a hoarse Española coach Joey Trujillo after the game. “We seem to be in a lot of close games.”
After Pojoaque scored 12 straight points to get within three, Josh Cordova drained a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left to tie the game. After an Española turnover, Nick Manzanares drew a foul, and made one of two shots to take the lead with a 16-0 run.
“We got comfortable, we played passive,” said Española senior Jayden Duran. “That’s on us, we’ll learn better from that.”
But during the free throws, Española saw an opening, and Miguel Orozco stayed back by the opposite basket. Duran grabbed the rebound, and chucked it full-court to a wide-open Orozco for an easy bucket.
“We had to do it,” Orozco said.
Those were his only two points of the game, and they were big ones, giving Española the lead with 29 seconds left.
On the other end, Manzanares got the ball back in his hand, and he split defenders for a layup, giving Pojoaque the lead back. Thirteen seconds left.
With nine seconds left, Pojoaque used its foul to give. Duran took the ball, and drew a foul on the baseline. And with no hesitation, he drained both free throws. Española leads with five seconds left.
For the second time this season, Duran’s two late free throws led Española to a win over Pojoaque.
“You already know, I have confidence in my shot,” he said. “I had to. My team needed a little boost, and I was not trying to go out like that.”
Manzanares again got the ball in his hands, and collided with Española’s Irvin Primero on his way to the basket. As time expired, officials called a charge, and the Sundevils celebrated.
“It doesn’t get any closer than that,” Pojoaque coach Ryan Cordova said. “They don’t come in half points. What a great experience.”
Duran led all scorers with a huge 23-point game. He hit four 3-pointers, and was fouled on another, and made 7-of-8 free throws.
“My shot wasn’t hitting in the beginning,” Duran said. “Just kept on shooting. Shooter’s mentality. And second half, it started to fall.”
Manzanares led Pojoaque with 16 points, nine coming in just the fourth quarter.
In the junior varsity game, Pojoaque pulled out a win 40-37 in overtime.
Española used the win to bounce back from a loss against Taos (10-12, 3-1) earlier in the week. They trailed by as many as 13 points in that game, but just missed a late layup for the lead as some contested calls went against them, and lost 55-49 for their first district loss.
The Sundevils next face Moriarty (6-12, 1-3) on Feb. 15, with three games left in the season for a shot at a district title.
The loss was Pojoaque’s fourth in a row, and sixth of their last seven. They have struggled with injuries, and after a strong start to the season are now on the back foot, though they can still likely make the postseason with a good finish.
The Elks next play on Feb. 15 against Taos.
“I’m proud of my guys, they finally found the heart in them,” Cordova said. “I feel sorry for whoever has to play us next.”