Believers come through

Class 3A Boys State Championship WHO: No. 2 St. Michael’s vs. No. 1 Hope Christian WHERE: University Arena, the Pit, at UNM WHEN: Today at 10 a.m.

Fans of the Horsemen show their support in the team’s semi-final game against Sandia Prep in the Pit on Friday morning. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal.)

Even when they finished second in District 5-3A, before exiting in the semifinals of the penultimate tournament, they believed.

And now everyone knows why.

The No. 2 Horsemen (19-11) used a dominant third quarter to knock off No. 3 Sandia Prep (21-11), 56-41, on Friday at the Pit to return to the 3A title game.

“When Matt went down against West Las Vegas (in the second game of the season), I didn’t see what happened – I just saw him limp off,” Groenewold said. “He said he was going to be fine, and I took his word. But when news broke that he was out for the season, it was a huge loss.

Jeff Groenewold drives toward the hoop against Sandia Prep’s Justin Gomez in the semifinals of the Class 3A boys state basketball tournament in the Pit on Friday. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal.)

“But I didn’t think the season was over. None of us could think like that. Matt was a huge loss and a huge part of our team. We just kept battling, and here we are.”

Groenewold and Kameron Romero led the way, each finishing with 14 points, including posting nine and eight points, respectively, during a third period where the Horsemen outscored the Sundevils 25-7.

St. Mike’s, which trailed by as many as eight points in the first half and 24-18 at the break, opened the third period by scoring eight-straight points during a 19-2 run that effectively sealed the victory.

“It wasn’t about us making any adjustments or anything. We just came out and forced some turnovers, made plays and made some shots,” St. Mike’s coach Ron Geyer said.

Said Groenewold: “They’re a great team – my hat’s off to them. They came out and punched us in the face, and I feel we came back like Horsemen always do.”

Now the stage is set for a rematch between last year’s finalists – St. Mike’s will face No. 1 Hope Christian (19-11), which defeated No. 4 Shiprock (24-6), 67-49 in the other semifinal contest.

“There’s no better feeling – I love it,” Romero said.

Huskies senior Tommy Riley said he’s just looking forward to another chance to play in a title game. However, that doesn’t mean last season’s unceremonious finish, involving a botched job by the timekeeper, still doesn’t weigh heavily on his mind.

“I think about it all the time,” Riley said. “… We just want to be in the state championship again, and we want to prove we can win it.”

And teammate Austen Drake, who finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds against Shiprock, reiterated that despite last season’s finish and his team’s contentious battles during the regular season against the Horsemen, there isn’t any bad blood between the rival teams.

“We’re excited as always – it’s a championship game,” he said.”But at the end of the day, it’s just basketball. You just have to go out and play hard.”
JIM THOMPSON/JOURNALJeff Groenewold drives toward the hoop against Sandia Prep’s Justin Gomez in the semifinals of the Class 3A boys state basketball tournament in the Pit on Friday.Believers come through

ST. MICHAEL’S 56, SANDIA PREP 41