The Mesa Vista Trojans won their third consecutive District 3AA championship by beating Questa 56-52 Feb. 27 in Ojo Caliente.
Mesa Vista held off a furious rally by the Wildcats in the fourth quarter to hold for the victory.
“We pretty much dominated the first three quarters,” Mesa Vista coach Thomas Vigil said. “(Questa) just doesn’t give up.”
The Trojans led 32-16 at halftime and 49-32 heading into the fourth quarter. It was bombs away for Questa in the final eight minutes as the Wildcats outscored Mesa Vista 20-7, sinking so many three-pointers that Vigil was shaking his head.
“They were taking the shots we wanted them to take — fadeaway three-pointers with a hand in their face,” Vigil said. “They were knocking them down.”
It was Mesa Vista’s fourth consecutive win, and the Trojans finally climbed above .500 with a 14-13 record. The Trojans had not been above .500 since Dec. 10 when they were 5-4 overall.
“Those losses led to all these victories,” Vigil said. “It takes a lot to lose and lose and still come out hard. That toughness is what helped this team gain confidence.”
The Trojans will host Escalante Saturday in the opening round of the Class AA state tournament in Ojo Caliente. The Trojans have defeated the Lobos twice this season.
“I’m expecting a tough game that could come down to who has the ball last,” Vigil said.
The Mesa Vista Lady Trojans lost in their District 3AA championship game, falling to Peñasco 42-27 Feb. 26 at Peñasco. The score was 16-15 in favor of the Lady Panthers at halftime. The game boiled down to which team played the toughest defense.
“(Peñasco) played hard defense,” Mesa Vista girls coach Richard Montoya said. “We had to fight their press instead of them fighting our press.”
The Lady Trojans travel to Farmington Friday to take on defending Class AA state champion Navajo Prep in the opening round of the state tournament.
“I hear (Navajo Prep) is pretty balanced,” Montoya said. “If we’re at the top of our game, we have a good chance.”