3A boys: Robertson outlasts Bosque in overtime thriller

Bosque School took the reigning state champions to the brink, but Robertson prevailed 62-58 in overtime of a gripping Class 3A boys semifinal on Friday in the Pit.

After trailing by as many as eight points in the third quarter, Robertson stormed back to take a 55-52 lead in the fourth. Bosque’s Josiah Wilson made a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in regulation to tie it and Robertson missed its final shot, setting up overtime between two of the more unique stories in Class 3A.

The Cardinals (20-12) built a four-point lead in the extra period and would hold on for a win that left Robertson head coach Adam Bustos visibly emotional.

“These guys are amazing, you know?” he said. “We’ve been through adversity. We battled. And I’ve just seen these guys mature and turn into good young men … We have some true warriors here and I’m just super proud of every one of them.”

Robertson’s Nathan Gonzales scored 17 of his game-high 22 points through the first three quarters, buoying the Cardinals as Bosque threatened to pull away. His dunk off an inbound play with under a minute left in overtime put Robertson up 61-57, helping the Cardinals secure their fifth straight appearance in the championship game and a shot at back-to-back titles for the first time in school history.

Top-seeded St. Michael’s 62-55 win over No. 5 Santa Fe Indian on the other side of the bracket sets up a title game rematch between the district rivals. Robertson won 58-46 last season in the Pit and the teams spilt their two regular-season matchups this season.

In the semifinal against Bosque, Michael Marr added 19 for Robertson, including 14 in the second half and the final free throw that put it out of reach for Bosque with 2.7 seconds left. The Cardinals made 16 of 26 shots from the foul line to Bosque’s 5 of 10.

“Everyone counted us out every single time – 10 seed, 10 seed, 10 seed!” the junior guard said. “And what do we do? We just beat the six-seed, the two (Tularosa) and the seven (East Mountain). And we beat (top seed St. Michael’s in February) — we’re gonna be here tomorrow.”

Wesley Harrigan led the Bobcats (19-11) with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a game Bosque largely controlled throughout the middle quarters. The Bobcats trailed 12-6 after making just three shots in the first quarter, but led 44-36 entering the fourth.

Robertson, however, got the boost it needed from two underclassmen. After the Cardinals made 1 of 18 attempts from deep in the opening three quarters, freshman Marcus Montoya (nine points) connected on two 3-pointers in the fourth — the second tying it at 46-46 — before sophomore Brian Rubin hit another to give the Cardinals a 53-50 lead with 1:48 left.

Luca Kalishman (13 points) drew Bosque within a point before a pair of Marr free throws put Robertson back up by three. With less than 30 seconds left, Bosque passed it in and out before finding Wilson (12 points), who stepped into a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.

“We were there to win the game,” Bosque head coach Gerard Garcia said. “I mean, we just fell short. The guys that we wanted to shoot the threes hit the threes.”

Robertson’s win ends the Bobcats’ season and with it, one of the more memorable stories of the state tournament. Bosque unexpectedly dismissed head coach Clifton Davidson on Feb. 18, leaving Garcia — the former head coach at St. Michael’s — with an offer to finish out the season as the Bobcats' head coach.

Despite some initial reluctance, Garcia accepted and led Bosque to playoff wins over Cottonwood Classical Prep and Cobre for the program's first semifinal appearance since 2020. Friday, he said he did not know if he would be back at Bosque next year.

“They haven’t talked to me yet about anything,” he said. “Same with the coaches. We just wanna get to the weekend.”