It will be another tall order for the 2nd seeded Jaguars against the tall and taller No. 1 seeded Las Cruces

Chase me if you can, but you’re not going to catch me.

That was 2nd seeded Capital’s formula in Thursday night‘s 74-64 5A semifinals win over 6th seeded Rio Rancho Cleveland at the University of New Mexico’s Dreamstyle Arena. From nine lead changes in the first half, the Jaguars (28-4) slipped away to a 37-26 halftime advantage and maintained it despite a late push from the Storm.

Up by margins of 17 points, Capital held off a Storm bid in the final minutes. Down 59-51, 6th seeded Cleveland (28-9) closed to with 68-64 but the Jaguars scored the rest of the points, five coming from 5-foot-11 senior Antonio “TJ” Sanchez on a pair of baskets and a free throw, plus a freebie from senior guard Elias Rodriguez, and it put Capital into Saturday night‘s championship against No. 1 seeded Las Cruces, which has won 28 of 31, and game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the final game of the tournament.

As for the multiple lead changes, it went from 4-2 Jags to 18-17 Storm, and from there it was Capital taking the lead for good when 6-4 senior Chano Herrera’s basket brought a 21-20 advantage and a surge by the Jaguars despite a pressing Cleveland defense that couldn’t contain the Capital offense and leadership of seniors Sanchez, the program’s all-time leading career scorer,

Brandon Saiz, Seth Arroyos and Herrerea.

The last and only time the Jags won state was in 2004 (25-1) over Deming, 64-60, the year after they lost 71-67 to Deming in the final to finish at 28-2. It was assistant coach Ben Gomez’ first season as head coach after Al Armendariz retired and watched the title game from his seat all dressed up his usual suit and tie. Under Gomez, it also lost in the 2007 finals.

Las Cruces has been in 11 finals, winning eight, and the last coming in 2013. The other times were in 1941, 1945, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1975, and 1976. It goes way back, with championship number one the first to be played. Four years later, it won the year Japan flew over Pearl Harbor in a surprise attack. It lost in 1942 to St. Michael’s, and lost again in 1972 and 2017. In 1959, ’60 and ’61, the Bulldawgs were coached by Lou Henson, who later coached the New Mexico State University men.

But now is now and they are a team that stands tall, one that Capital will be looking up to. It will have to deal with 6-9 sophomore center/forward Isaiah Carr, 6-6 small forward Kaden Self, 6-4 power forward seniors Salvador Nevarez and Joseph Montoya, and 6-3 senior guards Ray Brown and Gonzalo Carbalan, and 6-foot sophomore William Benjamin, jr., the head coaches son. The shortish players on the roster are two 5-10 sophomores, and it’s a 10-man roster.

The Bulldawgs have scored 1,979 points and have allowed 1,491, But this doesn’t mean they are invincible. They have lost three times, to Albuquerque Volcano Vista, 56-49 after winning their first seven. Then they reeled off 18 in a row before falling to city rival Onate, 53-49, in the Joe Armijo tournament, and then won 5-straight before again losing to Onate, 54-48, for its only district defeat in a dozen games.

In the rematch against Volcano Vista in the state semifinals, Las Cruces won handily 49-31, with Garbalan having the game-high 15 points, Carr adding 9, Brown and Benjamin 6 each, Nevaraz 5, Self 4, and Montoya 2. This was after Volcano Vista eliminated 4th seeded Onate, 53-51, in the quarterfinals.

So that’s the final step for Capital, a chance to win state for the first time 16 years.

And the Jaguars, with a senior-laden lineup that lists Herrera as their tallest player, have gone against teams with more height, and won. This includes winning four of seven versus cross town and district rival Santa Fe High, district opponent Albuquerque High, Albuquerque Hope Christian, Los Lunas, Albuquerque Eldorado, but after taking a 16-point lead over Cleveland at home, was overwhelmed by the Storm in the fourth quarter and lost 75-64, so revenge was sweet this time.

The Jags’ are led by the versatile Sanchez, their leading scorer, the one they go to in the clutch, and who rebounds, dishes out assists, swipes the ball, and plays aggressive defense. The second leader scorer is 5-10 junior Dominic Luna, but he ran into foul trouble against Eldorado and didn’t score, and versus Cleveland had only 3 points. The big spark in key moments has been 6-1 senior Arroyos having an impressive tournament, Herrera with his long-range shooting, and 5-7 senior Saiz has the experience to come away with big plays.

It’s an old saying, “Big guys fall hard” that Capital is counting on.

But these teams, as are all the others still playing, will have to play before empty seats, an announcement made

  by the New Mexico Athletic Association after the quarterfinals. Also, media will be not be allowed, with only  players, coaches, trainers, some family members, and administrative officials, and referees allowed in the Pit.

#10  GONZALO CARBLAN — 6-2 senior shooting/point guard

#11  ABRAHAM MITCHELL — 5-10 sophomore guard

#12  DUSTIN HICKS — 5-10 sophomore guard

#13  RAY BROWN — 6-3 senior guard/forward

#14  KADEN SELF — 6-6 sophomore forward

#21  WILLIAM BENJAMIN, Jr. — 6-0 sophomore shooting/point guard

#22  MALON EVERHART — 6-1 senior guard

#23  SALVADOR NEVAREZ — 6-4 senior forward

#24  ISAIAH CARR — 6-9 sophomore center/forward

#34 JOSEPH MONTOYA — 6-4 senior power forward

CAPITAL ROSTER:

#2    BRANDON SAIZ — 5-7 senior guard

#4    DOMINIC LUNA — 5-10 junior guard

#10  JEREMIAH AGUIRRE — 5-10 junior guard

#12  ANGEL PARRA — 5-10 junior guard

#14  IZAYAH SERRANO — 5-10 junior guard

#20  SETH ARROYOS — 6-1 senior forward

#22  CHANO HERRERA — 6-4 senior forward

#24  ANTONIO “TJ” SANCHEZ — 5-11 senior guard

#30  ANDRES IBARRA — 5-10 junior guard

#32  ELIAS RODRIGUEZ — 5-10 senior forward

#42  ABRAHAM DAMIAN — 5-11 sophomore forward