Española Valley High School took round two of the Española-Pojoaque rivalry series in boys basketball with another strong performance.
The Sundevils defeated the Pojoaque Valley High School Elks 69-58 April 16 to maintain first place in the district.
Española had won the first game when the teams met earlier, though that game did not count for district standings.
The Sundevils started the game red hot. They forced a timeout at 11-2 and took an early 11-point lead. They ended the first quarter with a 19-8 advantage, which marked the ultimate difference in the game.
“We got beat by 11 in the first, and that’s what we got beat by the entire game,” said Pojoaque coach Jason Mossman. “(Española) executed very, very good, and we had a couple mistakes that really didn’t help us. That’s the difference, you can’t make mistakes, even simple mistakes, against a team like this.”
In the second quarter, Ollie Fell added momentum with a dunk, but was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim. But Pojoaque managed to cut into the lead with a 22-point quarter, including a 10-12 mark at the free-throw stripe, and trailed 38-30 at halftime, with a Derek Sanchez jumper closing the deficit in the final seconds.
Pojoaque senior Lukus Archibeque did his best to keep the game close early, scoring 15 of his game-high 20 points in the first half.
“He’s the team captain offensively for a reason,” Mossman said. “He’s just a heady kid, has a high basketball IQ.”
Both teams slowed down on offense in the third quarter, and the Elks prevented the Sundevils from extending the lead much further, keeping the deficit to single digits.
But in the fourth quarter, Española regained an offensive groove. Ricky Padilla added to the lead with scoring bursts, and the Sundevils led by as many as 18 points before closing out the win, 69-58.
“I’m really proud of the way they stick together as a team,” Mossman said. “We’re hanging with these teams. We’re not getting blown out, that’s what I told the team. We’re not embarrassing ourselves.”
Española coach Gabe Martinez said he would like for the team to improve its consistency.
Garrett May led the Sundevils with a strong 18-point performance, while Padilla scored nine points, all in the fourth quarter.
“We didn’t play our best, we should have played better,” said Pojoaque junior Matt Gomez. “A lot of missed opportunities. We’ll get them next time, hopefully.”
The Sundevils junior varsity team defeated the Elks, 58-42, with a few strong offensive runs.
Mossman is excited to bring in Jeremy Anaya, a former player at Northern New Mexico College and Capital High School to coach the freshman team.
The Sundevils, at 5-3, are one of the top ranked teams statewide, and have a 4-0 record halfway through district play. They’ll have a rematch at Los Alamos on Thursday (4/22), and host Taos on April 24.
“It always feels good,” Martinez said of being in first place. “But I’m always telling the boys, ‘Don’t pay attention to none of that. It’s one game at a time.’”
Pojoaque moves to 2-4 on the season, with a 1-2 district mark. The Elks had defeated Monte Del Sol Charter on April 15, 52-47 in a come-from-behind win with a 23-9 fourth-quarter margin. After traveling to Los Alamos on April 20, they’ll be at Taos Thursday (4/22).
The two teams rematch in Española on April 28.