For the third straight year, Escalante is district champion for both the boys and girls. And again, they have won both district tournaments (there were no district tournaments in 2021).
And like the girls the night before, the boys had a tight battle in the first half before pulling away to a big win with a second-half run. This time, though, it was a singular star in Luka Torrez that led the Lobos to victory.
“Big time players have to take over in big time games,” Escalante coach Isaac Royston said. “He kind of shies away from trying to take over in a sense, because he wants his teammates to get involved … Finally, that second half, he had to take over. And once he got going, then everybody else got in the flow of the game.”
Torrez’s 33 points — 27 in the second half alone — led the Lobos (19-7) to a second-half surge in a 69-58 win over Mesa Vista (16-12) in the district tournament championship on Saturday at home.
The normally-humble Torrez joked after the game that the rim looked as wide as “diving into a swimming pool.”
“It’s a team effort,” the junior wing said. “My teammates, they gave me the rock. They did their team part, they got open, they gave me the open part. All I had to do was just knock down the shot.”
Escalante, having finished the season with nine straight wins, should be somewhere between seed No. 5 and No. 8 when the state tournament brackets are announced Sunday, giving them a first-round home game in Tierra Amarilla. As a point in favor for the Lobos, they have played against state favorite Pecos as close as almost any 2A team, losing by seven at the Northern Rio Grande Tournament.
“I honestly believe that we can beat anyone,” point guard Tomas Atencio said. “Whatever god has planned for us, whoever we play, it’s all in his hands. Like tonight, we’ve just got to come together, everybody has to step up, and we have to play our game.”
The Lobos have exceeded expectations (including those of a local newspaper writer) this year after losing seven seniors and almost all contributors besides Torrez from last season. After a slow start, Escalante found their footing within a month. This year’s team thrives on chemistry and selflessness, and a leader in Torrez who is willing to share the spotlight or take it on when necessary and do whatever it takes to win. And they head into state with plenty of momentum.
Torrez’s teamwork extends so far that when Atencio went down with a leg injury, Torrez was the first one to help stretch out an apparent cramp.
“It shows our brotherhood,” Atencio said. “There’s a lot of division in this community. But as a team, I think we’ve come together greatly from the beginning. When I went down, I knew he would be there.”
The current group of players grew up playing with each other, and at times against each other at different elementary schools, which Torrez said helps to learn teammates’ strengths and weaknesses.
The crowd in the small-capacity Escalante gymnasium (about 800) was entirely full and standing-room only. They were loud throughout the night, and helped the Lobos get a little extra burst at key moments.
“It was huge,” Royston said. “In the second half, as soon as we made a little bit of a run on them, the crowd really got into it, and that really set the tone for us. Home crowd, you can’t beat it.”
The first half was a tight battle, with Escalante scoring first, and the lead changing hands back and forth throughout the half. The Trojans took a one-point lead into the locker room on a last-second block by Daniel Martinez.
But Torrez completely took over in the second half. His third quarter was incredible, with 14 points, seven made baskets, and a number of rebounds, steals and assists, plus a late block. (Final stats were not available from the game as of Sunday morning.) Escalante scored 25 in the quarter and outscored the Trojans by 17.
He continued that dominance in the fourth, starting with a 3-pointer to open the quarter and stretch the lead to 19. But Mesa Vista refused to give up late, and ultimately scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to stay competitive. They had the game within eight points, but Torrez’s and-one all but ended the game.
Jordan Gallegos finished the game with the lead for Mesa Visa with 20 points.
Mesa Vista will be in the field, likely around a No. 10 or No. 11 seed, and they will see where they play their first-round game on Sunday.
“They’re probably one of the top teams in our district,” Atencio said of their Saturday opponents. “They have insane confidence, and that’s what makes them really good.”