The Española Valley High School boys basketball team had 15 days between the first game of the season and the second.
Head coach James Branch was concerned the team might lose some of the momentum they picked up in the first game, Nov. 22, against Gallup High School.
Initially, the lengthy gap between games had an adverse effect, as it took the Sundevils more than four quarters to knock down Silver High School, from Silver City, Dec. 7, by a score of 65-60.
“We were all pretty rested, but we were all itching to play,” senior J.P. Sena said. “I think we were maybe a little rusty in the beginning.”
The match-up against the Fighting Colts was the first game of the three-game Sandia Preparatory School Basketball Tournament.
The Sundevils had an easier time in their next two games and they came away from the tournament with a first place finish.
After Silver, they faced off against St. Pius X High School, from Albuquerque, in a game that they won, 74-52.
Following that game, they played in the championship match with one of the stronger teams in division 2A, Mesilla Valley Christian School, beating the SonBlazers, 86-68.
For Sena, Silver was the toughest team the Sundevils played all season.
“They hung with us pretty much the whole time and we finally beat them in overtime,” he said. “But, it was a good game.”
At halftime, the Sundevils led 37-33, and at the end of four quarters, the score was tied 58-58.
They shook off a poor fourth quarter performance to outscore the Fighting Colts by five points in overtime.
Branch said along with some substitution issues, the team did not show the proper discipline in putting away the ball, toward the end of the game.
They allowed Silver to come back in the fourth quarter, with a 10-point lead in hand.
“They were good, but we broke down defensively,” he said.
After the close game against Silver, the Sundevils returned to dominant form against St. Pius and Mesilla Valley.
Third quarter surges in scoring were the difference makers for Española and allowed the team to rush to more than 20-point leads.
Branch and Sena credited the bench play as one of the key factors for the Sundevils throughout the course of the tournament.
Senior guard Martin Gracia led the team in scoring against Mesilla Valley, netting 18 points, including five three-pointers. He was in the double-digits for all three games of this tournament.
“We played really good as a team this tournament,” Sena said. “Our scoring was balanced all of the way around.”
Branch said Gracia was one vital player off the bench, but he was impressed by the way his entire bench played, showcasing some of the depth the Sundevils have this year.