A collision hurt Greysen Horan’s face, but did not take away from his contributions. The junior forward got hit near the eye during a game against Pecos while going for a rebound — he repeatedly said there was no malicious intent by the Pecos player.
The next day, he showed up with a black eye that was visibly discolored and practically swollen shut.
“I don’t think it affected me too much,” he said. “I was still able to score and be effective, even without one eye.”
But Horan played through the injury, and was a key part of Escalante’s third-place victory over Dulce (8-8) at the Northern Rio Grande Tournament. The Lobos (7-6) started slow with a 2-5 start, but have now won five of their last six games, including a Dec. 21 win over highly-ranked Academy for Technology and the Classics.
That one loss came to Pecos (13-1), and they lost just 55-48 to the top team in the state. That came three weeks after losing to the Panthers by 30, though they were battling illness and injuries in that game.
“Maybe (Pecos) didn’t play the finest game that they’ve played, but maybe we forced them into playing that game,” Escalante coach Isaac Royston said. “I think we can play with anybody, and that shows it.”
Royston said the team has an improved confidence, starting with their ATC win, and sending them on a hot stretch that shows no signs of slowing down.
Escalante scored first on a Jayden Salazar 3-pointer, but Pecos scored the next eight points. The Panthers led the rest of the game ultimately, but not for a lack of trying by the Lobos. Pecos, despite being a huge favorite, never led by more than 10 points.
At halftime, Escalante trailed 26-21. In the third quarter, they trailed by just one point at 30-29, but missed multiple layup opportunities to take the lead. Pecos responded, rattling off an 11-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game.
Still, the fight continued into the fourth quarter. Luka Torrez’s best efforts put the Lobos down by five points multiple times, but they never had quite enough to take the lead.
“You can’t run with Pecos,” Horan explained as the gameplan. “We needed to play tough, strong defense, and we needed to capitalize on turnovers and steals.”
Horan was the team leader in the game with 14 points. Monte Faulkner scored seven points off the bench, and was a huge contributor defensively.
“I’m so happy with how we plays,” Horan said. “The state definitely knows that we’re here now.”
The Lobos started the weekend with an easy victory against Mora (6-6), who won both of their consolation games by over 20 points and by doubling up their opponents. In that game, the Lobos came out hot from the start, scoring six straight points, and they led 18-6 by the end of the first quarter, ultimately winning 56-41. Torrez was the team leader with 12 points, while Horan, Tomas Atencio and Salazar also reached double figures.
In the third place game, Dulce (8-8) had the early lead, but the Lobos took the lead late in the second quarter. A 9-0 run early in the third quarter gave Escalante a double-digit lead, and they led by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter before winning 70-58. Torrez had his best performance in that game, with 25 points, 15 in the second quarter. He hit five 3-pointers in the game. Horan added 18 points. James Johnson led Dulce with 15 points.
The Lobos played after press deadline on Tuesday against Cuba (3-9), and finish their non-district schedule on Saturday at Sanford, Colo.
“There’s not another team in the state that I’d rather play for,” Horan said. “And I’m so happy that we were able to lock in and get that spark right when we needed it.”