Northern New Mexico loves its basketball. Sometimes, almost a bit too much.
So much, in fact, that sometimes a coach needs to remind everyone to bring the temperature down, just a bit.
But that environment is what makes so much of the game special, and so meaningful for everyone involved.
In one of those rambunctious environments, Escalante (15-7, 6-1 in district) tied Mesa Vista (17-5, 6-1) at the top of District 5-2A with a 46-43 victory in Tierra Amarilla on Thursday, ending the Trojans’ 15-game win streak. And the passion of Northern New Mexico’s basketball fans was on full display.
“It was rowdy, I liked it,” Escalante senior Luka Torrez said. “Escalante versus Mesa Vista, it’s always going to be like that. I like the feeling.”
In a sold-out gymnasium, with the heat cranked way up despite snowflakes outdoors (apparently, the temperature is set in Albuquerque, and nobody at the school has any control), the temperature of the crowd nearly boiled over.
A string of calls early in the fourth quarter went the way of Escalante, including a technical foul on a Mesa Vista player. The Mesa Vista fans were up in arms, on their feet and shouting at officials and players.
A crowded and rowdy Escalante student section — all standing on their feet for nearly the entire game — nearly spilled on to the court, and needed some restraining.
They were told to stop chanting “We can’t hear you!” as it was taunting the Mesa Vista parents and fans. For the final few minutes, as Escalante built a lead, their chants matched those of the cheer team.
“I think the crowd got us back in the game,” Escalante Coach Isaac Royston said. “It was awesome. That’s the kind of crowd we need to carry us through.”
During a pause in the game, Escalante girls assistant Eric Belser came on to the court with a microphone and tried to get the crowd to settle down. Thankfully, though harsh words were thrown, nobody became violent or unsafe.
The Trojans had raced out to a 12-4 lead to start the game, including a 3-pointer by Jordan Gallegos. Then, Escalante answered back, with many players from the bench in the game as they settled in. They took a lead early in the second quarter, and the game was on. At halftime, the two teams were tied at 24.
“Mesa Vista has a damn good team, holy moly,” Royston said. “They scrap. They claw. They do everything well.”
Mesa Vista had its guards fight off foul trouble early. But they continued to play aggressive defense. Freshman Andres Valdez stayed tight on Torrez, who averages 17 points per game, and held him to just two points in the first half.
Down by one late in the third quarter, Torrez drained a 3-pointer, which seemed to give the game a different energy.
“I ask my heavenly father for the strength and the courage and the confidence for everything,” Torrez said. “And he helped me knock down that shot.”
That shot kick-started 10 straight Lobo points, giving them a 9-point lead about midway through the final quarter. After a bit of back-and-forth, Escalante held on to a strong lead into the closing minutes. A couple of last-minute shots closed the final score; Jordan Gallegos got the Trojans within four points with 30 seconds left. But they never had the ball with a chance to tie, as the Lobos closed out the win.
Royston said they were strong on defense, but struggled in offensive sets. He was disappointed with turnovers in the closing minutes.
Gallegos led Mesa Vista with 16 points, and Torrez scored 14 — nine of which came in the fourth quarter, including a perfect 5-for-5 on free throws. Damian Baeza was also big for the Lobos with nine points off the bench.
“Big game players have to show up for the big games,” Royston said of Torrez.
Earlier, the Escalante junior varsity boys team won 41-33. The Mesa Vista girls JV team won 59-21.
Suddenly, the district picture is muddled, with the Lobos and Trojans at the top and other teams two games behind. If they each close out their final three games, they will face off in a tiebreak game.
But the road there will not be easy. Mesa Vista, after facing the district’s bottom two, will conclude their season at Mora (11-11, 4-3), a feisty team that took them all the way to the end when they faced off recently. Escalante still has tough games against Mora, and on the road at McCurdy (13-10, 4-3). Let the best team win.
“We’ve got to focus on Peñasco on Saturday,” Royston said. “We’re going to be happy with the win. But we still have a lot of work.”
Lady Trojans Win by 29
Mesa Vista’s girls team (20-3, 7-0) continued its strong district play with a 62-33 win over Escalante (7-16, 2-5).
Mesa Vista quickly went up 8-2 in two minutes, but Escalante settled in and played tough, trailing just 13-9 after one quarter. But then, Mesa Vista ran away with a 14-0 second quarter, totalling a 20-0 run before Escalante scored another basket.
Tana Lopez led the Lady Trojans with 16 points in the win. Ashley Gilmore scored a team-high seven for Escalante.
Mesa Vista, though, will still have challenges before sewing up a district title. On Saturday, they face Questa (16-7, 5-2), and on Feb. 22 they rematch with Peñasco (13-9, 5-1).
Escalante next plays against Peñasco (13-9, 5-1) on Saturday.