The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
The Española Valley Lady Sundevils handed previously undefeated Cleveland High School their first loss of the season 53-44 in the championship game of the Jaguar Invitational Dec. 5 in Santa Fe. The Lady Sundevils trailed 4-0 to start the game, but scored 12 unanswered points to take a 19-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and hold off the taller Cleveland team and improve to 4-1 on the season.
“This is a big win for this program,” Española coach Ron Drake said. “To go from 0-27 to where we are now is fantastic.”
Drake took over the program after Española had gone without a win in the 2006-2007 season. He’s led the Sundevils to two Class AAAA state tournaments and a District 2AAAA championship since then.
Cleveland entered the game 3-0, having beaten defending Class AAAAA state champions La Cueva 68-54 in their opening game. The Storm destroyed Deming 72-35 in the quarterfinals and routed host Capital 79-35 in the semifinals to reach the tournament’s championship game. The Storm is led by 6-foot-3-inch center Sarah Hattis, while Española’s tallest player stands just 5 feet, 8 inches.
“That doesn’t bother these girls, “ Drake said. “They have the heart, the desire.”
Despite falling behind early, the Sundevils showed no signs of being intimidated by their opponent. Melanie Vigil buried a pair of three-pointers, Justine Vigil scored five points and tournament Most Valuable Player Nisa Duranhit hit a jumper and a layup to give the Sundevils a 12-point lead. Española used a half-court trapping defense to create 28 turnovers during the game.
“I told them if they went out scared they shouldn’t put on a uniform,” Drake said. “You have to believe in yourself and your teammates.”
The Storm made a move on the Sundevils in the second quarter, but six points by Justine Vigil kept the Sundevils in front and Española led 27-20 at halftime. Vigil had 11 first-half points.
In the third quarter, the Storm closed to within five points at 29-24, but freshman Amanda Maestas canned a pair of free throws and Duran scored on a breakaway layup to keep the Sundevils in front. Española led 34-26 heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter began with a layup by Española freshman Lauren Quintana. Sundevil post Marisol Peña followed with a short jumper in the lane and Melanie Vigil finished a 6-0 Sundevil spurt with a breakaway layup after a turnover. The Sundevils extended their lead to 40-26 in the first minute of the fourth quarter.
Hattis, who led all scorers with 20 points, brought the Storm back to within six points 50-44 with less than a minute left in the third quarter. A free throw by Maria Serna with 12 seconds left, followed by one final Storm turnover that Quintana converted into a layup at the final buzzer, gave the Sundevils a 53-44 victory.
Quintana contributed 10 points to the victory. Both she and Maestas played valuable minutes that were sorely needed as Justine Vigil and Desiree Howie both fouled out trying to stop Hattis. The freshman duo has proven to be a valuable addition to the Española team.
“I knew they were players because they played with us this summer,” Drake said. “We needed them, but I didn’t think it was going to be this quick.”
Duran finished with 13 points and knew that this win was important for the Sundevils.
“This will help us out in the state seedings,” she said. “We knew what we had to do.”
Española advanced to the tournament’s championship game by rocking Roswell Goodard 58-18 Nov. 3 in the quarterfinals and smothering Santa Fe High School 66-24 Nov. 4 in the semifinals. The Sundevils outscored Santa Fe 23-2 in the third quarter to blow the game open. Justine Vigil had 17 points and Melanie Vigil 16 to lead Española.
The Sundevils will participate in the Grants Invitational Dec. 10-12 at Grants. They open the tournament facing Wingate Dec. 10 at Grants. Pojoaque will also be at the Grants tournament and there’s a possibility the two local rivals could meet each other.