A first-round loss at the Northern Rio Grande Tournament made the Trojans angry.
They narrowly lost 70-68 to McCurdy, dropping them to 2-4 on the season, with three of those losses coming in close games.
“That really boosted us,” said freshman Andres Valdez. “When we lost that game, our whole team was upset. But the next day, we all got over the game. We just wanted to win, we were craving that hunger.”
They have not lost since.
The Mesa Vista boys basketball team (13-4, 2-0 in district) won their 11th straight game, taking down district rival Escalante (10-7, 1-1) at home in what coach Thomas Vigil dubbed “an instant classic.”
“We’re just playing good ball right now, we’re playing together,” senior Marcos Martinez said. “Winning those few games, Santa Fe Indian, Pecos. That just boosted our confidence a lot more.”
Defense has been a focus and a strength for the Trojans. After allowing 70 points against McCurdy, they have not given up more than 60 since, despite playing at a high pace.
Mesa Vista led by one point with 10 seconds left with two free throws. But they missed both, and Escalanta had a chance for the win. Or, they would have. But Valdez — the 5-foot-6 freshman point guard — flew in for an offensive rebound.
“It was an unlucky shot, and I saw the rebound coming my way,” Valdez said. “And I grabbed it.”
Forced to foul, Escalante sent Valdez to the line.
“My mind went blank,” he said.
He made both. Then, he stole the ball in the closing seconds as time ran out.
Jordan Gallegos, who has turned into a full-fledged star as a sophomore, led the team with 19 points. Valdez scored six of his 10 points in the fourth quarter. Luka Torrez led the Lobos with 13 points.
Escalante started the game with two straight 3-pointers, but did not hit another one until late in the fourth quarter. And Mesa Vista followed with a 15-2 run.
But the game was back-and-forth the whole way through. The Trojans were up 19-16 after one quarter. Escalante led 25-23 before Tony Manzanares beat the halftime buzzer to tie the game.
The third quarter featured three Mesa Vista traveling calls, but they still held a lead, and Valdez hit a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter.
Down by three, Escalante turned the ball over with under a minute left, but got the ball right back on a traveling. Greysen Horan hit a deep shot thinking he tied the game, but his foot was in front of the line, and the Lobos were still down a point with 24 seconds left.
At that point, Escalante only had one foul in the quarter, and 14 more seconds ran off the clock as they looked to send Mesa Vista to the line and get the ball back.
The Trojans now get to face the lower-ranked teams in the district, as they play Questa (3-15, 0-3) and Peñasco (5-12, 0-2) this week. Escalante has road games at Peñasco (5-12, 0-2) Thursday and Mora (9-7, 2-0) Saturday.
“To go 10-0, that’s our goal to go through the districts,” Martinez said. “Can’t guarantee it, but that’s what we’re pushing for.”
Lady Trojans Win Big
The Lady Trojans (15-3, 2-0) dominated from the jump, quickly building a big lead and never looking back in a 50-14 win over Escalante (5-13, 0-2). Mesa Vista led 18-3 after one quarter and 30-4 at halftime, forcing turnovers the whole game.
Tana Lopez led the Trojans with 17 points. Jayden Macias scored five points for Escalante.
Mesa Vista has a tough week ahead against the district’s best, playing at Questa (13-5, 3-0) on Thursday, and hosting Peñasco (10-8, 2-0) on Saturday. The Lady Lobos play at Peñasco on Thursday.