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Pecos’ defending state 3A basketball champions down Grants in its opener, now meets 6A Santa Fe High today in round robin of the annual Al Armendariz tournament played at Capital High
Undefeated Capital now 3-0 and faces Roswell Goddard
By ARNIE LESHIN, Santa Fe Today
Pecos’ defending state 3A basketball champions passed one test.
By opening its season with Thursday’s 75-68 win over 5A Grants in the annual Al Armendariz boys basketball round robin at Capital, it served further proof that it’s ready to make another run at the title.
Last season brought the first Panthers title since 1966, now they have a number of returning players that will bring plenty of depth for head coach Ira Harge, Jr.
Now they will see how they can do against 6A Santa Fe High today. The Demons took a tight 62-61 loss to Roswell Goddard, and the other match-up sends host Capital against Goddard.
The undefeated Jaguars continued to impress with their 86-17 rout over Jimenez Valley, their third win in a row. Their full-court pressure brought a 37-5 early lead and the Warriors (0-2) had no answer.
Every Capital player scored as head coach Benny Gomez emptied his bench early. Junior Matt Smith and T.J. Sanchez led the way with 14 points each and three scored in double figures.
Now it takes on Goddard, which evened its record at 1-1 by going on a 7-1 run that was capped by Dalin Stanford’s hook shot with the game clock reading one second. The Demons had turned the ball over under the Rockets’ basket.
Santa Fe had led since the start, with leads of seven and eight points, but Goddard, which received a game-high 24 points from Stanford, kept hanging around. It took advantage of three Demon turnovers in the final minute, as well as Santa Fe High converting only one-of-two free throws. Antonio Lovato led the Demons with 17 points as they fell to 1-2.
As for Pecos, it received a game-high 22 points from junior Josh DeHerrera, with 10 coming in the first quarter. Then there junior Mario Archuleta adding 15 points and sparkling on defense by coming away with five steals in the final quarter.
This came with a Panthers’ full-cross press that wore down the Pirates (1-2) and brought 15 turnovers in the second half of a tight contest.
But Pecos took charge with six minutes left, starting a 10-4 run that increased its lead from 65-52 on freshman Anthony Armijo’s 3 with 4:04 remaining. Armijo tossed in 17 points and added four rebounds and five steals.
Said Harge, Jr.: “Anthony had a great second half and he was our energy guy. He’s out there with the trees and brings down rebounds. He gets a deflection at a crucial time, and he also showed his scrappiness.”
The round robin concludes Saturday with Goddard facing Jemez Valley, Grants going against Santa Fe High, and Pecos meeting up with 5A Capital in another test. That’s two 5s and one 6A for the Panthers.
