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ABQJournal Sports » Class 2A Boys: Laguna Acoma, Dexter in final

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Class 2A Boys: Laguna Acoma, Dexter in final

By on Mar. 14, 2013
   
No. 1 LAGUNA ACOMA 67, No. 5 TEXICO 60

RIO RANCHO – Revenge was sweet if a year in coming for No. 1-seed Laguna Acoma on Thursday after losing by a point to Texico a year ago.
The Hawks (28-2) jumped to a big lead that held on late for a 67-60 win over the No. 5 Wolverines (20-10).
“We have the utmost respect for them,” said Laguna Acoma coach Ryan Peil. “That’s why we worked so hard to get back and beat them.”
It certainly was uppermost in the players’ minds, said Austin Jones, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds for the Hawks.
“After last year, it left a bitter taste in our mouth,” he said. “We knew we had to play hard and play strong. And coming into this game we were just really pumped and focused. We did what we wanted to do and what we knew we could do.”
Anthony Carpio added 19 points, seven boards and five assists for Laguna Acoma while Augustus Cuch had 12 points.
Miguel Reyna scored 18 points with eight rebounds and reserve Justin Rucker contributed 17 points.
But Reyna, the Wolverines go-to scorer, had to work for every point he got with C.J. Salvador and David McGee taking turns defending him.
“If you ask those guys, one of their primary jobs is defense,” Peil said. “They take it serious. That’s why it’s not always about how many points you score and all that.”
The role players are just important to the Hawks’ success, he said.
“We talk about that all the time,” Peil said. “It’s all the other little stuff. Who can guard well and who can take a charge and set a screen and all that stuff, even though that’s not always what the stat people pay attention to. CJ and David did an outstanding job on him.”
Now it’s the Wolverines who have the bitter taste.
“I already want revenge,” Reyna said.
Texico coach Ty Thatcher chuckled at that.
“There’s a good chance we’ll meet each other again down the road next season,” he said, adding he would like to get Laguna Acoma on the schedule, even if they have to play at a neutral site.
But for this season, it’s the Hawks who are savoring their first trip to the state championship game.
“I never thought that I would be able to have a team that could take it all,” Jones said. “I never thought I would be here with guys like this on my team.”
Glen Rosales
No. 1 LAGUNA ACOMA  67, No. 5 TEXICO 60
TEXICO (20-10): Gentry Doolittle 9, Kendall Naceanceno 5, Jonah Walls 5, Rallin Harris 2, Miguel Reyna 18, Justin Rucker 17, Mason Grau 2, Mitchell Pinell 2. Totals 24-60 15-22 60
LAGUNA ACOMA (28-2): Augustus Cuch 12, Austin Jones 15, Anthony Carpio 19, Ryan Arkie 8, C.J. Salvador 2, Elijah Ruben 7, David McGee 4. Totals 24-60 15-22 67.
Texico                   14      10      13      23 — 60
Laguna Acoma     16      19      17      15 — 67
3-point goals: T 3 (Reyna 2, Naceanceno); LA 4 (Cuch 2, Cario, Ruben). Total fouls: T 17; LA 18. Fouled out: None. Rebounds: T 32 (Harris 8, Reyna 8); LA 31 (Jones 8). Assists: T 5 (Reyna 2); LA 11 (Arkie 3, Carpio 3). Turnovers: T 21; LA 12.

DEXTER 32, MESILLA VALLEY 30:

RIO RANCHO — Nick Nunley’s 3-point attempt glanced off the rim at the buzzer as seventh-seeded Mesilla Valley lost to No. 3 Dexter 32-30 in a semifinal game Thursday afternoon at the Star Center.
Kevin Paez scored 11 points as the Demons (27-3) advanced to the 2A championship match after winning a game that was the exact opposite of their usual high-tempo contests.
“It was totally their style of game, a slow-paced game,” Dexter coach James Voight said. “It doesn’t matter if the score is 20-19 as long as we have more points, we’re going to the state championship.”
The theme of this game was defense, as neither team was able to light up the scoreboard.
“It was a straight defensive game,” said Mesilla Valley senior post Devon Tourtillott.
The Sonblazers (18-13) held a 23-17 lead early in the fourth quarter, only to see David Lopez nail a 3-pointer and Paez hit a jumper to pull Dexter within 23-22.
Devyn Rice drew a foul and made both free throws, but Lopez put back Kevin Bonner’s missed 3-pointer. After a series of misses shots and turnovers, Paez made a 3-pointer with 2:30 to go to put the Demons ahead for good at 27-25.
Rice made one of two free throws with 2:10 to go, but Dexter then played keep-away, forcing Mesilla Valley to foul four times in succession before sending the Demons to the line. From there, Dexter went 5-for-6 while holding the Sonblazers to just two shots.
“At first I was like ‘oh, man, free throws,’ but we do that every day after practice, so I just concentrated and the ball went in,” said junior Missael Barrientos, who went 2-for-2 from the line down the stretch.
Rice scored 10 points in a losing cause, while Tourtillott was held to seven points and 13 rebounds.
“I thought their defensive pressure was consistent, stable throughout the game; it was nasty,” Sonblazers coach Terry Adler said.
— Chris Jackson
DEXTER 32, MESILLA VALLEY 30
MESILLA VALLEY (18-13): Devyn Rice 10, Jeff Adler 3, Nick Nunley 8, Devon Tourtillott 7, Tristan Franzoy 2. Totals 11-30 6-8 30.
DEXTER (27-3): Kevin Bonner 6, Kevin Paez 11, Missael Barrientos 4, David Lopez 9, Amador Amaya 2. Totals 10-38 6-8 32.
Mesilla Valley 6 4 11 9—30
Dexter 4 10 3 15—32
3-point goals: M 2 (Rice, Adler); D 6 (Bonner 2, Paez 2, Lopez 2). Total fouls: M 14; D 10. Fouled out: None. Rebounds: M 30 (Tourtillott 13); D 16 (Ke Bonner 4, Ky Bonner 4). Assists: M 6 (Jimenez 2, Adler 2); D 4 (Ke Bonner, Paez, Barrientos, Lopez). Turnovers: M 15; D 10.

 


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