The McCurdy Bobcats withstood Dulce’s comeback to defeat the Hawks 48-41 Dec. 18 in Dulce.
A driving layup by Dulce’s Christian Cachucha had cut McCurdy’s lead to 31-30 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The score was 39-35 in favor of McCurdy with 2:29 left to play when the Bobcats reeled off a 9-0 run to take control of the game.
McCurdy’s Ryan Bustos started the surge by making one of three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt.
On Dulce’s ensuing possession, Bustos stole the ball and drove in for a layup. He drew a foul and made the free throw to complete a three-point play that gave the Bobcats a 43-35 lead,
“After I missed those two free throws, I had to make it up,” Bustos said. “My team needed it.”
After a free throw by McCurdy’s Carlos Herrera, Bustos hit a pullup jumper and drove in for a layup to give the Bobcats a 48-35 lead. The Hawks scored six points in the final 30 seconds to make the final score 48-41 in favor of the Bobcats. Bustos led the Bobcats with 22 points. The 5-foot-9-inch senior point guard is the only returning starter for McCurdy.
“Ryan is beginning to understand his role as a leader on the team,” Bustos’ father McCurdy coach Walter Bustos said. “He’s realizing when he needs to step up.”
The Bobcats led throughout the game. A three-pointer by David Martinez gave McCurdy a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Dulce scored the last four points of the second quarter to make the score 18-13 at halftime.
A pair of baskets by Lawrence Gutierrez sandwiched around a score by Isaiah Valdez gave McCurdy a 28-19 lead in the third quarter. Cachucha drained a three-pointer for Dulce that made the score 31-28 heading into the fourth quarter. Cachucha led Dulce with 15 points.
The fourth quarter proved to be decisive. McCurdy outscored the Hawks 17-13 for the victory.
“The boys are trying real hard,” Walter Bustos said. “The bottom line is we have a lot of inexperience.”
McCurdy was without two players who were injured in a single-car accident Dec. 17 while on the way to basketball practice, McCurdy athletic director Eric Vigil said. Shooting guard Louie Martinez suffered a torn hip muscle and reserve point guard Eric Vigil Jr. suffered a concussion in the accident. Both are expected to recover and rejoin the team, according to Vigil, father of Eric Vigil Jr.
“Louie gives us about 10 to 12 points,” Walter Bustos said. “As soon as I get a group of kids to play about 10 games together, I’ll have a better idea of where we’re at.”
Dulce couldn’t overcome the absence of point guard Dominick Panzy, who was fulfilling family commitments, according to coach Leeson Velarde. The Hawks are inexperienced as well, having lost four starters to graduation.
“Over the break all we’re going to work on is fundamentals,” Velarde said. “We need to teach them the game of basketball.”