An injury to Pojoaque led to an opportunity for sophomore Allison Paytiamo.
Allison Paytiamo filled in for starting center and leading rebounder Marisela Bowie, who was out with a concussion. “The beast,” as Bowie’s coach calls her, is expected to be available for Pojoaque’s next game.
And she delivered, with a game-winning basket to deliver an overtime victory for her team.
“Now we have another beast,” Pojoaque Coach Cindy Roybal.
The Pojoaque Elkettes (12-11, 4-1 in district) took down Española Valley (13-10, 3-2) 46-44 in overtime on Saturday. After an 11-point comeback, Pojoaque completed a season sweep and stays in a tie for first place in the district as they continue strong play.
“We fought to the end,” Paytiamo said. “We played as a team. And all I could say is, good job to the girls who fought.”
Paytiamo hit the clutch basket under the basket on a perfect pass to put the Elkettes ahead with 16 seconds left, ultimately the difference in the game.
“I’m bummed that (Bowie) is out,” Paytiamo said. “But it’s my responsibility to step up and help.”
Free-throw shooting was the difference for the Sundevils. In overtime, they hit just two of eight foul shots. With a chance to tie at under 10 seconds left, they hit just one of two. A 3-point heave at the buzzer was no good as the Elkettes took the win.
Española was without leading guard Aliya Rael-Lopez, whose status with a wrist injury is unknown.
To reach overtime, Pojoaque needed a pair of clutch baskets from Lauren Salazar. The first, with 1:12 left, tied the game. After the Sundevils took the lead back on Alyssa Garcia’s layup, Salazar again laid the ball in with 30 seconds left to tie the game and force overtime.
“I was confident in our team, and in myself,” Salazar said. “I knew that our shots were going to fall, because we were just letting them go up, and we were confident that they were going to fall.”
Pojoaque trailed by 11 points late in the third quarter before mounting a comeback. Marisa Martinez hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Jasmine Valdez hit a clutch 3-pointer to get the game back within one point late in the fourth.
“We really started picking each other up,” Salazar said. “We knew that we had to fight extra hard, because we knew that they wanted to beat us. And we had to want it more.”
Valdez led the team with 14 points, while freshman Monique Arrieta scored 13. Hailey Renteria led Española with 14 and four 3-pointers, one of which tied the game in overtime.
In the junior varsity game, Española cruised to a 50-19 win.
The Sundevils had a better performance than in a 36-20 loss at home to Pojoaque, one that kicked off the Elkettes’ run through districts. Their offense has been much stronger since that game, with three district wins. The Sundevils will very likely be in the postseason field, and are still a threat in the district.
“I thought we played a good ballgame, we improved a lot from the last time we played them,” said Española Coach Ray Romero, who was previously an assistant under Roybal. “
Their next game, with three left in the season, comes on Tuesday at Moriarty (4-17, 0-4).
Pojoaque’s win is a good bounce-back from their eight-point loss in Los Alamos (12-10, 3-1). They are tied with the Hilltoppers on top of the district, and will control their own destiny through the final three games. The first of those is at home against Taos (5-17, 1-3) on Tuesday.
“We’re going to go in, fight, show them what we’ve got, and not give up,” Paytiamo said.