Del Norte's boys are hitting their stride

There are, to be sure, a couple of ways to interpret these Del Norte Knights.

There is an eight-loss team whose record, on the surface, would suggest that they are a middle-of-the-pack Class 4A boys basketball team.

But the flip side of that coin is the version that appeared Tuesday night; the team coach Jeron McIntosh said back in November was the best team he’s ever had at Del Norte; a team that has shown it can play with anyone.

“That,” McIntosh said after his fourth-ranked Knights stomped visiting sixth-ranked Albuquerque Academy 67-47 in a District 6-4A matchup, “is the best we’ve played all year, by far.”

This was a 20-point margin that wasn’t as close as the final score.

Del Norte (11-8, 2-0) owned the game from the start, dismantling a fairly accomplished team from Academy (12-7, 1-2).

Six of the Knights’ eight losses came to 5A opponents, and six of those eight losses are by five or fewer points.

“We’ve always felt great, since the beginning of the season,” said senior guard Francois Satchivi, who pumped in 27 points Tuesday in the victory. “It was just closing out games, but we’re starting to figure it out.”

McIntosh said his team seems to be turning the corner, when you factor in last Tuesday’s three-point loss to second-ranked Highland, and this result.

“We’re starting to hit our stride,” he said.

Two district matchups against Hope Christian figure to determine how the top of the league standings shake out. The two met twice in December, at the Academy tournament and then again at Rio Rancho’s event, and have split.

The first meeting in district occurs Feb. 4.

Tuesday, 6-foot-5 senior forward Mumin Omer scored 10 points in the first quarter, part of the Knights’ quick start.

Satchivi began to heat up in the second quarter, with 12 points, and then 10 more in the third quarter.

“And,” McIntosh said, “I think what helped today is we had other guys making shots so they couldn’t key in on Francois.”

Meanwhile, Academy’s big man, 6-10 Hunter Aime, was carrying the load for as long as he could, and scored 15 of the Chargers’ 22 first-half points.

Del Norte’s balance and precision from the arc allowed the Knights to pull away in the second half. They led by as many as 27 before pulling all their starters with 4½ minutes left.

“We’re practicing better, we’re maturing a little bit, and just working harder, and all that is a good combination,” McIntosh said. The team’s new faces, he added, contributed to a slower start than expected.

Omer added 18 points for Del Norte. Aime finished with 17 for the Chargers.

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.