Last season, the Española Valley High School boys basketball team lost, at home, to rival Pojoaque Valley High School.
For this year’s Española team, that rivalry loss was on every player’s mind.
“Honestly, we were just coming for the win, because they beat us last year,” Española senior Martin Gracia said.
The two teams were slated to face-off, Jan. 19, at Pojoaque, just before district play starts. The Sundevils enacted their revenge with a dominant win, outscoring the Elks by 33 points, 79-46.
“I felt their pain,” Española head coach James Branch, who did not coach last year’s team, said. “They wanted to come in here and have a solid victory and I think we did.”
In the first few minutes, the game was competitive, but it did not take long for the Sundevils to pull away. They more than doubled Pojoaque’s score at the end of the first quarter, leading, 21-9. They never lost that lead.
“I thought Gracia came in and he changed the pace of the game,” Pojoaque head coach Thomas Vigil said. “Gracia came in and he knocked down those two threes … We rushed after that.”
Vigil knew that his team would have to be deliberate on offense to defeat Española and the Elks could not get into a fast-paced game with the Sundevils.
Gracia made a strong contribution coming off the bench. He nailed two three-pointers in the first quarter, another one in the second and finished the game as Española’s highest scorer, with 15 points.
Isaiah Vigil trailed close behind him with 14 points, nine of those from the three-point line.
The Elks never had much of a chance, going into this game. They were up against an Española team that recently lost its undefeated streak against Rio Rancho High School, two games ago, and is on a rampage to prove itself, once again.
Despite the one loss on the season, the Sundevils are ranked first in division 5A. By comparison, the Elks are ranked 19th, one division lower, in 4A.
“Their basketball IQs, their court awareness and their execution is incredible,” Thomas Vigil said. “Coach Branch has them playing some really good basketball.”
The one area in which the Elks did look promising, was in the post. Their two highest scorers were both forwards, Matthew Sanchez and Isaac Roybal. Sanchez had eight points and Roybal had nine.
Sanchez kept Pojoaque afloat in the first half, as he scored all of his points in the second quarter. He was consistently able to grab the ball low and put it in the basket.
“Matthew has been playing really smart for us,” Thomas Vigil said. “He is playing his role extremely well for us right now.”
For Branch, his team’s defense in the paint was a concern. He understands that his guards will have to do a solid job at the perimeter, so the ball never reaches the players in the post.
This game was the biggest crowd the Sundevils and Elks had seen all season. Branch called the crowd “ridiculous.”
The stands at Pojoaque were almost completely full and they did not start to clear out until midway through the fourth quarter.
“It was nice,” Gracia said. “When I hit my first shot, I heard that crowd roar.”