Española Valley needed a win.
After losing five straight, and at just 2-16 on the year, the Sundevils were struggling in the face of always-high expectations from the region.
“We know that we still have a lot of work to do,” said coach Joey Trujillo. “This is just one game. If we don’t continue this … then it’s not going to mean anything.”
But the Sundevils came out strong to start district play against a Pojoaque team that overlooked their first opponent.
The Sundevils (3-16, 1-0 in district) took down the Elks (12-6, 0-1) 42-37 in Pojoaque despite being underdogs in the game, with Pojoaque entering as the district favorite.
“It was just a spark,” Española senior Nate Chacon said. “We all really wanted to win this game. It was a team effort, and all these guys really played their hearts out today.”
The Elks started the game with a 2-0 lead after Española received a technical foul for dunking pre-game. Pojoaque hit a 3-pointer almost immediately, and soon went up 8-0. But the Sundevils were undeterred, and held Pojoaque scoreless the rest of the quarter while getting within a point.
“Mentally, they were ready for this game, they really wanted this game,” Trujillo said.
Derek Sanchez, Pojoaque’s leading scorer on the year, picked up two fouls in the first quarter, and sat the rest of the half. In a game the previous week at Robertson, Sanchez received four fouls in the first quarter, and fouled out soon after his return in the fourth quarter. The Elks did not want a repeat of that game.
Pojoaque went up 12-7 early in the second quarter, but the Sundevils took over from there, finishing the half on a 17-4 run.
Pojoaque came back strong in the second half after trailing by eight, and were down by just one after the third. They led in the fourth quarter, but ultimately Española finished strong. Chacon hit two free throws in the final minute to make it a two-possession game, and Pojoaque’s shooters could not connect.
“It’s been very tough,” Trujillo said of the team’s record. “But the kids haven’t wavered. They stuck with each other. And tonight it showed that they believe in their coaches.”
The 16 losses put Española in a position where they know they need to win the district to reach the postseason, and that is their current motivation for the year.
Chacon led the Sundevils with 15 points, the last seven of which coming on free throws. Derek Sanchez scored 13 for Pojoaque, and nobody else had more than six.
After the game, the Elks celebrated Sanchez for reaching 1,000 career points, in about two full seasons (he was not on varsity as a freshman, and the 2021 COVID season had just 11 games.)
“It’s definitely exciting,” Sanchez said. “It probably isn’t the way I wanted to get it, on an L, but it’s definitely exciting. I never thought I’d get it.”
Earlier, the Sundevils’ C-team and junior varsity won easily, 47-23 and 57-34.
Pojoaque looks to rebound on Friday against preseason district favorite Taos (9-8, 0-0), while the Sundevils host Moriarty (7-11, 0-1).
“Short memory,” Sanchez said. “Tough loss, but we’re going to bounce back Friday and continue our run.”