The road to the state championship began Saturday night for the number one team in District 5A, with a 68-51 victory.
The Española Valley Sundevils faced Los Lunas’s Valencia High School Jaguars, with a home-court advantage, a sold-out crowd and raucous gymnasium.
The Sundevils won the tipoff and immediately went into their offensive game plan by pushing the ball up court and using their speed as effectively as they use their ability to hit shots from 20-plus feet.
It seemed that ball movement was the focus early on, as Española tallied about six passes, before senior Isaiah Vigil made a jumper.
However, the Sundevils’ intensity was not exclusively limited to offense.
Following the first basket, they showed a fiery defensive prowess with their full-court press, that suffocated the Jaguars.
Stellar communication and excellent timing in the trap, led to two quick Valencia turnovers.
The Jaguars barely nudged and made room across the hardwood, but were finally successful on their third attempt, which resulted in two points, after a back-door cut that scrambled the Española defense.
The Sundevils wasted no time and showed their speed was in effect, as senior J.P. Sena invaded the paint, while maintaining his focus and finishing with an old fashioned three-point play.
In the next sequence, Española’s defense once again swarmed Valencia’s ball handler, creating enough havoc that the ball got loose and into the hands of Vigil, who finished the play with back-to-back three-pointers.
Feeling the crowd’s rumble must have ignited Española, who ended the first quarter with a transition three-pointer by senior Martin Gracia.
At the end of one quarter, it was obvious that the turnover discrepancy played a huge role in giving them an early, 11-point lead.
It was more of the same in the second quarter, this time, A.Z. Salazar was doing the tough work inside. He had eight points, but persistence, with put-back layups and offensive rebounds, energized the team to give them more of a spark.
Española hit two three-pointers in the second quarter and scored a total of 20 points, while missing four free throws. The Jaguars finally scrapped their way into the double-digit mark by making four field goals and executing one of their four free-throw attempts.
For the first half, the Sundevils controlled everything a team in their place should. They led by a total of 21 points, but that didn’t mean Valencia was ready to submit.
Coming out of the halftime break, Española’s defense seemed unfocused and they got outscored. They did not have the same energy displayed in the first half.
Five Valencia players all scored in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 12 points. In the moments that energized the Jaguars into thinking they had momentum, Española coach James Branch called a timeout so his team could regroup and refocus.
Valencia played their best basketball in the third quarter, while the Sundevils struggled to find the rhythm of the previous two quarters.
Luckily for them, adjustments were made and composures by the players weren’t diminished.
Chris Fernandez was still in attack mode for the Sundevils. He led the way in scoring, with 17 points overall — seven of which came in the final quarter.
Española regained their composure and continued to be a juggernaut team by playing within their system and most importantly, playing hard-nosed defense.
At the end, the Sundevils came away with a 68-51 victory in the last home game for eight senior players.
They next face Albuquerque’s St. Pius, in quarter-final play.
Vigil said, “Playing St. Pius is going to be different from earlier in the year because of adjustments they’ll make.”
That game will be a test to see how good the number one team can continue to play.
Española faces off against the Sartans at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday (3/7), at The Pit in Albuquerque.