Dulce was down to seven players for the weekend, after losing players to injury and illnesses.
But they continued their fight against strong teams, and had good performances in their big tests.
“We’re just trying to play together, and form our identity as a team, and just keep playing tough,” coach Erik Petago said.
The Dulce Hawks (5-4) fell just short of third place while facing bigger teams at the Ben Lujan Tournament in Pojoaque.
The Hawks lost 55-41 to Santa Fe Indian (5-4), they trailed by just two at halftime, but the Braves outscored the Hawks 19-6 in the third quarter. Ivan Harrison scored 20 points to lead Dulce with nearly half of their points.
In the second round, they topped Monte Del Sol (3-5) 50-44 after going up 21-8 in the first quarter. Isaiah Reval, Bob Harrison Jr., Ivan Harrison and JD Gonzales all scored in double figures for a balanced attack.
On the third day, the Hawks fell just short to Moriarty (3-5), coming within one in the final minute but losing by two, with a halfcourt buzzer beater after they trailed by five. Gonzales scored 19 points in the game.
Gonzales and Ivan Harrison received all-tournament selections.
“It means a lot, I’ve never had one of these,” Gonzales said.
Dulce will play at the Striking Eagle Native American Invitation tournament starting Dec. 27, looking to repeat their victory from last year.
“We’re still a tremendous team,” Petago said. “We’ve just got to fix some of our stuff on offense, and just work a little bit harder on defense.”
Mesa Vista Boys
The tournament represented a homecoming for Mesa Vista coach Thomas Vigil, who coached previously at Pojoaque Valley. Though the Trojans did not match up with the Elks in the bracket, Vigil had a chance to reconnect with people he knew from his time there, which ended before the 2020-21 season.
“A lot of familiar faces, and everybody here at Pojoaque treats me really well,” Vigil said. “Pojoaque’s always going to be very near and dear to my heart, I loved my time here.”
The Trojans (4-3) lost their first two games before winning in the seventh-place game.
Mesa Vista lost 81-66 to Portales (5-4) in the first round, going down 17-9 in the first quarter, and giving up 47 points in the second half. Jordan Cervantes scored 18 points in the loss.
Against Moriarty (3-5), the Pintos had hot shooting, knocking down six 3-pointers in the game, many at big moments for a close loss. Moriarty scored the first six points, and led 14-4 early in the game. The Trojans were within four points before a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Moriarty at halftime.
The second half had a much slower scoring pace, but Mesa Vista made a comeback in the fourth quarter. Down two points in the final two minutes, the Trojans missed two layups that would have tied the game. Cervantes hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left to trail 51-50, but there was not enough time for another shot, and that was the final score. Cervantes again led the Trojans with 18 points, eight in the final quarter.
“We’ve got to figure out how to win those close ones,” Vigil said. “I told them to keep their heads up, and let’s keep plugging away.”
On the tournament’s final day, Mesa Vista defeated Monte Del Sol (3-5) 60-56 with a big comeback, led by 26 points from Cervantes.
After a Tuesday game against Santa Rosa (4-1), the Hawks have a break until the Northern Rio Grande Tournament in January.