McCurdy entered the season with high expectations.
Coming off a second-place finish in the district, and a state tournament appearance, and losing just two players from the team, the Bobcats wanted to be one of the top teams.
But after two early losses, McCurdy has work to do to return to the level they played at the end of last season. Instead, they may have to work toward a repeat of last season, where they started slow before coming on strong in the second half of the year.
The Bobcats (1-2) lost their second-straight game, this time in blowout fashion, losing 97-46 to Academy for Technology and the Classics (6-0). The Phoenix have been strong early in the season, but if McCurdy wants to reach the goals they have set for themselves, it’s the type of game they have to at least play close.
“I told them to keep their heads up,” coach Ernesto Espinoza said. “They played a good game. They hustled, they did what I asked. They played with a whole lot of class and respect, and a whole lot of honor.”
McCurdy quickly went down 9-0 in the opening minutes, and did not score their first point until nearly four minutes into the game. Throughout the first quarter, they looked lost in communication on both offense and defense; they struggled to break the press, and gave the Phoenix consistent open looks, on which they capitalized.
ATC led 22-5 at the end of the first quarter. Furthering McCurdy’s troubles, starting center Jeremaya Roybal picked up three fouls in the first four minutes, and only played sparingly for the rest of the night.
McCurdy went much better in the second quarter, with a couple of runs as they started finding the basket, and they scored 18 points. But ATC added 26 more points in the period, stretching the halftime lead to 25. And in the second half, they dominated even further, more than doubling up McCurdy, and winning by 51 and nearly hitting the century mark.
Marcos Gasca, the team point guard and leader in the 2021-22 season, has joined the team as an assistant coach.
“As my point guard last year, he was a coach on the court,” Espinoza said. “He brings a lot to these guys.”
In the boys junior varsity game, ATC won 59-21, including a 15-0 third quarter.
The Bobcats will look to bounce back after back-to-back losses on Thursday as they face Cobre (1-4) in the first round of the Tularosa Tournament, making a long trip to the southern part of the state. If they win, they should see more strong competition, including the host Wildcats who look to return to the state semifinals after a 26-3 season a year ago.