Springer freshman sets state record for 3-pointers in a game

This story needs to begin with an introduction to Jett Curtis.

Curtis is a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard at Texico High School. On Jan. 3 of this year, Curtis took the floor for the Wolverines against Capitan, and he proceeded to go wild from beyond the arc, connecting on 15 3-point baskets in a 90-42 victory over the Tigers.

Put another way, if nobody on his team had scored a single point besides him, Texico still would have won the game.

The 15 made 3s tied a New Mexico single-game state record, which had been held alone by Estevan Romero of Springer, who broke the record in January 2016.

Romero held the record alone for nearly nine years.

Curtis was less fortunate. He only got to share the record with Romero for eight days.

Both were surpassed by Romero’s younger brother.

Pablo Romero drilled 16 shots from distance last Saturday in a home game against Reserve.

“I had a feeling he would break his big brother’s record,” Springer coach Johnny Chavez said. “I didn’t know it would be this soon.”

Pablo Romero hit both the record-tying and record-breaking 3s in the final 20 seconds of the game. The 16th came with about 8.5 seconds left.

“I was filled with a lot of emotions,” Romero said Wednesday. “I didn’t know I broke the record until I got to the locker room.”

Eleven of those 3s came during a remarkable third quarter, and those 11 established a state record for made 3s in a single quarter. Along the way, Romero’s 33 points in the third quarter broke another state record; Jesus Licon of Highland scored 30 against St. Pius in a game in the final week of 2023.

“The rhythm he can get in, I was like, ‘Uh oh,’” Chavez said.

And those 3s just kept raining down inside the Springer gym.

“Everything was going in,” Romero said. “I couldn’t believe I hit that many 3s in one game.”

Did we mention? The 5-11 Romero, 14, is just a freshman.

“The work he’s put in is kind of unreal for me,” Chavez said. “On and off the court, he’s such a humble kid. If anyone deserved it, it was him.”

Chavez was asked if he was surprised Reserve wasn’t able to slow Romero down.

“It’s kind of funny you say that. I turned to my assistant coaches. (I asked them), ‘Are these guys gonna let him shoot the rest of the game? If so, he’s gonna destroy the record.’”

And now, Romero sits atop a state record list. He made open looks, he buried shots off of screens, he ball-faked a couple of times to get his defender in the air to create a clean firing view from distance.

In total, Romero made 16 of his 21 shot attempts in the 91-31 victory. He finished with 48 points, more than twice his previous career high (23). His previous best for 3s in a game?

Seven, he said.

“It was unreal,” Romero said. “It was crazy.”

Estevan Romero, who himself broke a state record held by yet another Springer Red Devil, Isaiah DeHerrera in 2009, was a first-hand witness to his record being eclipsed.

“Oh man, it was a sad and bittersweet moment,” Estevan said, “but it was awesome. … I’m really happy for him.”

Meanwhile, Texico’s Curtis, who scored 48 points in his big night, was asked what he thought when he heard that his record was surpassed barely a week later.

“I was like, that’s crazy,” Curtis said. “It’s cool.”

And lost in the shuffle among the individual 3s by Romero and Curtis was this nugget:

Both Texico and Springer made 23 shots from the arc in their victories. Texico had the record to itself for eight days. Now both teams share the state record in that category. Magdalena, with 22 in 2018, had the previous record.

If there was only one minor thumbtack to the night for Pablo Romero, it was that he didn’t quite reach 50 points.

“I’m definitely bummed,” he said.