Pojoaque Valley struggled on offense and with closing games during the Ben Lujan Tournament once the competition stepped up, as they scored just 54 points combined over their final two games, and just eight points over the two games’ fourth quarters.
The Elkettes (5-5) took a step back after a 4-2 start to the year, finishing in fourth place at their home tournament.
“We got the shots we were looking for,” coach Jonathan Salazar said. “They just didn’t go down”
Salazar said he was impressed with the team’s defense, that allowed just 67 points total over three games — an average of 22 per game.
Senior forward Amaya Gonzales said she felt the team was stronger than last year, and has more chemistry.
“We need to make better passes, and trust each other with the ball,” Gonzales said.
Pojoaque won their first-round game 80-0 over Monte Del Sol (0-5), attracting some criticism about running up the score.
Salazar responded by saying there was no intent at disrespect or running up the scoreboard. They stopped their defensive press after the first few minutes, and he said he told the team at halftime to approach the situation with integrity and show dignity toward the Dragons.
“I think there could have been a different outcome if we played things a little bit different”
The Elkettes had been on the other end of a blowout a week earlier, losing 50-5 to Kirtland Central, and lost a game 67-9 last year.
Pojoaque scored 23 points in the first quarter, 23 in the second, 15 in the third and another 19 in the fourth quarter. Eleven Elkettes scored in the game. Monte Del Sol missed three free throws in the first quarter, their only attempts of the game.
In the second round, Pojoaque lost an early lead to Dulce (7-2) after leading for most of the first half, and lost 37-28 when they scored just five points in the fourth quarter. Kaylee Martinez and Kaylee Salazar both scored seven points.
Pojoaque lost 30-26 to Crownpoint (7-5) in the third-place game; they were up 11-4 at the end of the first quarter, but scored just nine points in the second half, and just three in the fourth quarter, after they were down 25-23 entering the fourth. They struggled to find open shots, and often missed the layups they did have.
Gonzales and Lauren Salazar were named to the all-tournament team.
Pojoaque plays at Raton (3-4) on Wednesday, then gets a break in the action until January.