Despite being the underdogs, the Sundevils entered the game with confidence.
“We thought we were as good as them, or better,” said senior Victor Nuñez.
And though the confidence was earned, it was not enough to get the team over the top.
Española Valley (12-17) was strong in the first half, but fell off in the second half in a 65-35 loss to No. 3 Hope Christian (19-9) in the first round of the 4A state tournament. The 14th-seeded Sundevils looked like an upset potential after they led in the first quarter, but a sloppy second half led to a 30-point defeat.
“It’s a somber emotion,” said Española Coach Joey Trujillo. “We knew we could play with them. We did it for a half.”
Jerek Duda led Española with 11 points, all in the first half, and Jayden Duran scored 10.
The small Hope Christian gymnasium was filled with a strong majority of Española fans, and sounded like an Española home game.
While the Sundevils often played just seven or eight players in big games, Trujillo knew that he had to keep up with Hope Christian’s deep rotation, and rotated more players throughout the game — nine different players saw action in the first half, and all 12 available entered the game by the end.
Española started strong, with Duran hitting a long two on the first possession. They led through much of the first quarter, until a Hope Christian buzzer beater tied the game. The second quarter saw shots fall less often for Española, but they still battled and were down 28-22 at halftime.
In the first half, the Sundevils were playing, not as if they had nothing to lose, but as though they expected to win the game. They were good on rebounds and aggressive in the paint.
“We knew that they were bigger than us, possibly stronger than us,” Trujillo said.
But the second half was a disaster. Española’s passing became sloppy, they couldn’t hit a shot, and they hardly ever stopped the Huskies on defense. Hope scored the first nine points of the second half to go up by 15, and built that lead further.
“Bad passes, turnovers, our shots weren’t hitting,” Nuñez said. “We weren’t being good teammates.”
A 26-8 third quarter put them up by 24. By the end of the fourth, they were up by 30. In total, Hope won the second half 37-13.
“We missed a lot of shots that we normally make,” Trujillo said. “We need to learn to be mentally stronger. We’d make a turnover, then we’d start arguing with a teammate, and we wouldn’t get back on defense.”
Española loses four seniors, two of whom were starters. Returning players include impressive tall wing Matthew Lovato, and a strong sophomore class that included three starters — Duda, Miguel Orozco and Irvin Primero — at various points this season.
“To those four seniors, I think they’re going to be very successful in what they decide to do,” Trujillo said. “They have that dedication. They have that work ethic.”
Trujillo hopes to continue building the program, after an 18-38 record over the last two seasons, back to the high level state competitor that Española fans have come to expect. He said the returning players will have to hit the weight room to become more physical.
“I’m really proud of these boys, they came a long way, and I thought we had a good season,” Trujillo said. “I know a lot of people aren’t going to see it that way, because a lot of people just look at wins and losses. But from where we started to where we ended, and how much we matured and grew, I found it very successful.”
Class 2A Boys
No. 3 Tularosa 60, No. 14 McCurdy 49
No. 4 Mesa Vista 72, No. 13 Jal 59
No. 8 Santa Rosa 71, No. 9 Escalante 62