There was something different about the Pojoaque Elks when they took the floor Jan. 23 against the Santa Fe Indian School Braves in Santa Fe.
For one thing, the Elks were coming off a victory, having beaten Robertson 60-53 in their District 2AAA opener Jan. 21 at Pojoaque. Prior to that victory, Pojoaque had suffered through a five-game losing streak that started Dec. 19 with a 10-point loss to Los Alamos and had dropped the Elks season mark to 8-7 overall.
For another, the Elks took the floor sporting shaven heads, something the team had done together to bring themselves closer.
“This is a whole new team, “ senior B. J. Roybal said. “We didn’t have any confidence, and we had to learn to believe in each other.”
Believing in each other and a 17-0 run in the third quarter propelled Pojoaque to a 75-57 victory over the Braves. The Elks improved to 2-0 in District 2AAA.
“It’s huge to be able to win on the road in this district,” Pojoaque coach Joey Trujillo said.
Trujillo has made changes to his rotation to accommodate the Elks new philosophy of constant pressure on defense.
“The main adjustment is now we play 10 guys,” Trujillo said. “We keep alternating them to keep them fresh so we’re able to constantly apply defensive pressure.”
Roybal scored 18 points for Pojoaque, but the Elks’ top scorer was sophomore Luke Salazar, who poured in 19 for the Elks.
“One big thing is the upperclassmen letting the underclassmen shine and not feeling threatened by it,” Trujillo said.
Salazar played a key role in Pojoaque’s third-quarter surge. The Braves had led at halftime 33-32 and were up 38-34 when Pojoaque pounced on Indian School, using turnovers created by the defense.
The run started with a basket by Salazar. Brian Montoya tied the score at 38-38 with another score. A steal by Salazar led to a layup, and Justin Trujillo canned a three-pointer. A second turnover led to another Salazar layup, and a third turnover ended with a basket by Michael Perez. Tom Nakotte capped Pojoaque’s 17-0 run by sinking a three-pointer and adding a free throw for a 51-38 Pojoaque lead with 2:02 left in the third quarter.
The Elks extended their lead to 56-42 at the end of the third quarter when Salazar sank a three-pointer at the buzzer.
The Braves narrowed the lead to 56-48 after a pair of three-point plays by Jody Atencio, but Nakotte stopped that comeback with his second three-pointer of the game. Pojoaque extended its lead to 20 points after Salazar scored his final two points of the game.
Pojoaque extended its winning streak to three games and improved to 11-7 on the season with a nondistrict victory over Silver High School Jan. 24 at Pojoaque. The Elks travel to West Las Vegas Thursday (1/29) and Raton Saturday in District 2AAA competition.