It has been a pattern in recent games.
Española starts slow, but has a big second half.
“We’re not scoring as much, our layups and our shots are rimming out,” said coach Ray Romero. “In the second half, they’re rolling in. We’re a good second-half team.”
In their first home game in a month, Española Valley (10-8) girls basketball defeated Miyamura (4-12) for a hard-fought 46-39 win at home on Thursday in their final non-district game. Española’s offense progressively picked up throughout the game, from a slow start to a strong finish.
“Everyone’s feeling really good,” said senior Alicia Chavez. “We’re really, really happy on how our season’s going. We’re excited for districts, state. We think we can make it.”
Junior guard Aliya Rael-Lopez led the team with 16 points including four 3-pointers, many in big moments.
“She gives us a lot of energy, then we step up on our defense,” Romero said. “Once we get a score, for some reason that makes our defense that much better.”
The Sundevils had to battle with the Patriots’ size and aggressive defense, which caused issues especially early in the game.
Española scored the first points, but both teams had just four after a quarter. They picked up a bit in the second quarter, after which Española led 16-14, but the start of the third is when the team really got going, and started to build a lead.
By the fourth quarter, Española led 40-29, and held on to win by seven.
The Sundevils’ big strength is their bench. Even in close games, they consistently rotate 10 or even 12 players fairly evenly. By the end of the game, the starters still have their legs under them.
“We wear teams down,” Romero said.
Earlier in the evening, the Española C team won 40-31, and the junior varsity team won 32-29, both after building big first-half leads. In the JV game, Miyamura had the ball with a chance to tie with five seconds left, but Española’s defense forced a stop for the win.
After playing 14 games in the month of December, the Sundevils have a lighter month now, and have a week off after the Miyamura game. Their next game is Jan. 25 against Pojoaque.
“As long as we keep improving, hopefully good things will happen,” Romero said.
District Preview
Based on record and rankings, the Lady Sundevils are the favorite entering district play, helmed by the former Los Alamos coach. As of Friday, they are the No. 9 team in 4A. The rest of the district has been down for a few years, and that might be more than good enough. But the team might need a true leader to emerge in the buckets department, and that could come from Rael-Lopez.
Los Alamos (8-7) returned perhaps the best player in the district in junior GG Romero. Romero is doing her part, averaging 21 points per game so far. But they started the season slow, coupled with a midseason coaching change. A recent hot stretch puts them right in the conversation, including a big win over Santa Fe Indian.
The Pojoaque Elkettes (8-10) are on the rise under Cindy Roybal, with Jasmine Valdez leading a balanced attack. The return of freshman Monique Arrieta is another boon. The Elkettes have suddenly won three of four games, including an 82-point outburst in a win over Hot Springs where they made 12 3-pointers. If that shooting keeps up, they can beat anyone.
Moriarty (4-11) has struggled for much of the season, after a few years of strong results. With just two seniors on the roster, they are in rebuilding mode, evidenced by some tough losses. Still, they beat Bernalillo to start the season, so the potential is there.
Taos (3-12) is currently at the bottom of the pack, in a downturn after winning the district two years ago. Junior Juliana Flores leads the Tigers with 11 points and eight rebounds per game. They have already lost to both Moriarty and Española, but a recent win over Capital shows a glimmer of hope.