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ALBUQUERQUE — Thomas Vigil wasn't worried about style points Friday afternoon.
Mesa Vista's boys basketball head coach is a substance man.
So, his Trojans' performance in the last Class 2A semifinal against Santa Rosa was not memorable in its presentation, but unforgettable in its results. Mesa Vista overcame 25 turnovers by playing tough-as-nails defense, holding the Santa Rosa Lions to just 20 of 56 shooting, and a solid offensive output was the perfect recipe for a 58-51 win in The Pit.
The third-seeded Trojans made their first trip to the championship game in 22 years and can win their first blue trophy in 28 years when they take on No. 1 Texico, which beat No. 4 Pecos in the morning semifinal, 55-43.
For Vigil, a 2001 graduate of the school, it will be his first state title appearance in his 18-year coaching career. It completed a three-year journey when he returned to his alma mater after a six-year absence.
"We're not biggest, we're not the fastest, but we are one of the toughest," Vigil said. "We like to hang our hat on the fact that we are tough and we are smart."
And smart teams don't let one bad category define a game and potentially a season. The Trojans expected the turnovers because of the Lions' physical style, but what was important was not to compound mistakes with points.
For more than three quarters, Santa Rosa could not make the Trojans pay for their mistakes. Until hitting consecutive 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds, the Lions scored just 13 points on 23 turnovers.
By the times those buckets came, Mesa Vista already had a 56-45 lead.
"It just wasn't falling for us today," Santa Rosa head coach Joe Esquibel said. "We picked a bad time to let that happen, but I know the game of basketball. And I respect the basketball gods, and I am understanding of it. That's how the ball bounces sometimes."
Some of the credit could go to the Trojans, who changed up defenses throughout the game. After seeing Santa Rosa go 7-for-12 in the third quarter to cut a 28-19 halftime deficit to 43-37, then Daryn Pacheco's transition layup off a Preston Muñiz steal trimmed it to four, Vigil opted to change from a man-to-man defense to a 2-3 zone. The effect was the Lions hit just three of their last 12 shots and just one field goal inside the 3-point arc.
"Three-for-22 from 3 [overall]? I think that's bigger than 25 turnovers," Vigil said.
Few players were as big as Mesa Vista junior Jordan Gallegos. The 6-foot-3 forward whose father, Gary Gallegos, played on the 1997 team along with his coach, was cool under pressure as he came one assist away from a triple-double. His 13-point, 11-rebound, nine-assist performance underscored the unselfish and physical nature of the Trojans.
Gallegos was equally as understated as he was unselfish.
"I'm not all about stats, I just wanna win," Gallegos said. "If I have to score zero points, then I gotta to do what I gotta do."
Gallegos recorded three of his assists in the opening quarter by finding junior guard Santiago Martinez downcourt for breakaway layups. The last two came during a 14-0 run that set the tone of the game. The Lions went from a 6-2 lead to an 16-6 deficit.
"That's me and Jordan's favorite play," Martinez said with a grin. "So, it's there."
Santa Rosa spent the rest of the day in chase mode, but every time it came close to turning momentum its way, Mesa Vista made the right play at the right time.
An Ezequiel Nevarez baseline drive with 2:55 left before the half upped the Trojans' lead to 25-17. When the Lions cut the margin to 33-27 in the third, Jordan Gallegos recorded a three-point play. When the Lions got within 43-39 in the fourth, Martinez drained the Trojans' last 3 that ignited a 10-0 run.
"Every time we chipped away and got it close, they'd hit a big shot and stretch the lead a little bit," Esquibel said. "Compliments to them."
No. 1 Texico 55, Pecos 43
They weren't the Texico Wolverines late in the first 2A semifinal.
Nah, more like the Texico Panthers.
The Wolverines took a page out of Pecos' playbook entering the fourth quarter of a tight contest. With Pecos trailing 35-31 entering the final 8 minutes, Texico threw a full-court press at its former District 6-2A opponent.
Pecos turned the ball over on consecutive possessions, and the Wolverines got transition layups from Alex Fuentes and Jaheim Moses for a 39-31 lead. Pecos never got closer than six points.
It was reminiscent of how Pecos often beat the Wolverines during their eight-year district tussles that ended after the 2023-24 season.
"Gotta change it up," Wolverines head coach Craig Cook said. "[Pecos head coach Arthur] Gonzales is a great coach. You gotta play chess here and there and catch them off guard when you can."
The Panthers were trying to overcome a severe rebounding disadvantage as Texico held a 23-7 rebounding edge at the half and 42-19 overall. The Wolverines lived of second-chance points, turning 21 offensive rebounds into 20 points.
"They're very tall, long and very athletic, and they're a little hard to find in order to box out," Gonzales said. "They got seconds, thirds, fourths, and that's where you lose a game."
Pecos, which had played in seven of the previous eight state championship games, led only once at 8-6, but Texico used an 11-0 run to turn its fortunes around behind superior rebounding — a 13-1 advantage in the quarter.
The Panthers used five 3-pointers to keep within shouting distance and trailed 19-17 before an 8-0 Wolverines run pushed the lead to 27-17 on Maverick Hawkins' bucket with 1:35 left in the first half.
Continue reading...
Mesa Vista's boys basketball head coach is a substance man.
So, his Trojans' performance in the last Class 2A semifinal against Santa Rosa was not memorable in its presentation, but unforgettable in its results. Mesa Vista overcame 25 turnovers by playing tough-as-nails defense, holding the Santa Rosa Lions to just 20 of 56 shooting, and a solid offensive output was the perfect recipe for a 58-51 win in The Pit.
The third-seeded Trojans made their first trip to the championship game in 22 years and can win their first blue trophy in 28 years when they take on No. 1 Texico, which beat No. 4 Pecos in the morning semifinal, 55-43.
For Vigil, a 2001 graduate of the school, it will be his first state title appearance in his 18-year coaching career. It completed a three-year journey when he returned to his alma mater after a six-year absence.
"We're not biggest, we're not the fastest, but we are one of the toughest," Vigil said. "We like to hang our hat on the fact that we are tough and we are smart."
And smart teams don't let one bad category define a game and potentially a season. The Trojans expected the turnovers because of the Lions' physical style, but what was important was not to compound mistakes with points.
For more than three quarters, Santa Rosa could not make the Trojans pay for their mistakes. Until hitting consecutive 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds, the Lions scored just 13 points on 23 turnovers.
By the times those buckets came, Mesa Vista already had a 56-45 lead.
"It just wasn't falling for us today," Santa Rosa head coach Joe Esquibel said. "We picked a bad time to let that happen, but I know the game of basketball. And I respect the basketball gods, and I am understanding of it. That's how the ball bounces sometimes."
Some of the credit could go to the Trojans, who changed up defenses throughout the game. After seeing Santa Rosa go 7-for-12 in the third quarter to cut a 28-19 halftime deficit to 43-37, then Daryn Pacheco's transition layup off a Preston Muñiz steal trimmed it to four, Vigil opted to change from a man-to-man defense to a 2-3 zone. The effect was the Lions hit just three of their last 12 shots and just one field goal inside the 3-point arc.
"Three-for-22 from 3 [overall]? I think that's bigger than 25 turnovers," Vigil said.
Few players were as big as Mesa Vista junior Jordan Gallegos. The 6-foot-3 forward whose father, Gary Gallegos, played on the 1997 team along with his coach, was cool under pressure as he came one assist away from a triple-double. His 13-point, 11-rebound, nine-assist performance underscored the unselfish and physical nature of the Trojans.
Gallegos was equally as understated as he was unselfish.
"I'm not all about stats, I just wanna win," Gallegos said. "If I have to score zero points, then I gotta to do what I gotta do."
Gallegos recorded three of his assists in the opening quarter by finding junior guard Santiago Martinez downcourt for breakaway layups. The last two came during a 14-0 run that set the tone of the game. The Lions went from a 6-2 lead to an 16-6 deficit.
"That's me and Jordan's favorite play," Martinez said with a grin. "So, it's there."
Santa Rosa spent the rest of the day in chase mode, but every time it came close to turning momentum its way, Mesa Vista made the right play at the right time.
An Ezequiel Nevarez baseline drive with 2:55 left before the half upped the Trojans' lead to 25-17. When the Lions cut the margin to 33-27 in the third, Jordan Gallegos recorded a three-point play. When the Lions got within 43-39 in the fourth, Martinez drained the Trojans' last 3 that ignited a 10-0 run.
"Every time we chipped away and got it close, they'd hit a big shot and stretch the lead a little bit," Esquibel said. "Compliments to them."
No. 1 Texico 55, Pecos 43
They weren't the Texico Wolverines late in the first 2A semifinal.
Nah, more like the Texico Panthers.
The Wolverines took a page out of Pecos' playbook entering the fourth quarter of a tight contest. With Pecos trailing 35-31 entering the final 8 minutes, Texico threw a full-court press at its former District 6-2A opponent.
Pecos turned the ball over on consecutive possessions, and the Wolverines got transition layups from Alex Fuentes and Jaheim Moses for a 39-31 lead. Pecos never got closer than six points.
It was reminiscent of how Pecos often beat the Wolverines during their eight-year district tussles that ended after the 2023-24 season.
"Gotta change it up," Wolverines head coach Craig Cook said. "[Pecos head coach Arthur] Gonzales is a great coach. You gotta play chess here and there and catch them off guard when you can."
The Panthers were trying to overcome a severe rebounding disadvantage as Texico held a 23-7 rebounding edge at the half and 42-19 overall. The Wolverines lived of second-chance points, turning 21 offensive rebounds into 20 points.
"They're very tall, long and very athletic, and they're a little hard to find in order to box out," Gonzales said. "They got seconds, thirds, fourths, and that's where you lose a game."
Pecos, which had played in seven of the previous eight state championship games, led only once at 8-6, but Texico used an 11-0 run to turn its fortunes around behind superior rebounding — a 13-1 advantage in the quarter.
The Panthers used five 3-pointers to keep within shouting distance and trailed 19-17 before an 8-0 Wolverines run pushed the lead to 27-17 on Maverick Hawkins' bucket with 1:35 left in the first half.
Continue reading...
