SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Just to serve further notice that fans are not allowed in the stands, and this was announced by the New Mexico Athletic Association after the quarterfinals were played.
Warning to undefeated Magdalena, this should be your biggest challenge. Twice during the regular season, you scheduled an anticipated match-up up at Pecos, but snowstorms postponed it once and cancelled it the second time.
So now it comes down to the state 2A boys championship, the Steers (28-0) versus the Panthers (27-1) in a 8 a.m. scheduled tip-off Saturday morning at UNM Dreamstyle Arena, aka the Pit.
There will be no fans in the stands on a decision made by the New Mexico Athletic Association, and since the quarterfinals were over, it’s been only players, coaches, trainers, administration officials, and referees. The media is also not allowed in the building.
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“We’re ready,” said Pecos head coach Ira Harge, Jr., “I watched Magdalena having a tough time with Texico before running off the final points of the game. They can shoot, they play a man-to-man defense most of the time, and Texico hung around because it had a size advantage that it used in the paint.”
The Panthers have won the last three state titles, one in 3A and two in 2A. They have handily won over district rivals Santa Rosa and Texico, and last year dominated . Record-wise, Magdalena appears to be their biggest challenge, but the Steers are not the usual opponent that outsizes Pecos. They are about equal in size and that’s why it shapes up as a good match-up, except that the Panthers have played a much stronger schedule, their loss was to 5A Santa Fe High, and since that game, they have won 21 in a row.
The 80-47 domination of 5th seeded Newcomb (23-9) in the semis was when they depended on their usual balanced attack led by the threesome of seniors Ismael Villegas, Xavier Padilla and Anthony Armijo.
Armjo and Padilla were freshmen who played well when Santa Rosa was the victim in Pecos’ initial championship. Now they are in quest of a fourth straight title. Armijo has been chili-hot in the tournament, and didn’t slow down against Newcomb. He scored 19 points that included four of what has become his trademark 3.
Padilla also scored 19 and Villegas had the game-high 22 points.
There were also a pair of 3s tossed in by senior point guard Devin Gonzales, junior Willie Trujillo came off the bench to also deposit a 3, Jacob Sandoval scored a basket and the final points of the game came on a bucket by Panther Rolando Sandoval. In all, Harge’s sharpshooters came away with eight from 3-point range.
And Magdalena had no problem overwhelming 6th seeded Jal, 71-39. It was led once again by sophomore Joren Mirabal, one of three players on the roster coached by their father. Joren had the game-high 22 points in just three quarters.
Now the Steers will find out if they are the top team in 2A or another victim of the run put together by Pecos, which is now 109-8 overall in its fourth season.
only players, coaches, trainers, referees and NMAA officials will be allowed into the University of New Mexico’s Dreamstyle Arena
Warning to undefeated Magdalena, this should be your biggest challenge. Twice during the regular season, you scheduled an anticipated match-up up at Pecos, but snowstorms postponed it once and cancelled it the second time.
So now it comes down to the state 2A boys championship, the Steers (28-0) versus the Panthers (27-1) in a 8 a.m. scheduled tip-off Saturday morning at UNM Dreamstyle Arena, aka the Pit.
There will be no fans in the stands on a decision made by the New Mexico Athletic Association, and since the quarterfinals were over, it’s been only players, coaches, trainers, administration officials, and referees. The media is also not allowed in the building.
.
“We’re ready,” said Pecos head coach Ira Harge, Jr., “I watched Magdalena having a tough time with Texico before running off the final points of the game. They can shoot, they play a man-to-man defense most of the time, and Texico hung around because it had a size advantage that it used in the paint.”
The Panthers have won the last three state titles, one in 3A and two in 2A. They have handily won over district rivals Santa Rosa and Texico, and last year dominated . Record-wise, Magdalena appears to be their biggest challenge, but the Steers are not the usual opponent that outsizes Pecos. They are about equal in size and that’s why it shapes up as a good match-up, except that the Panthers have played a much stronger schedule, their loss was to 5A Santa Fe High, and since that game, they have won 21 in a row.
The 80-47 domination of 5th seeded Newcomb (23-9) in the semis was when they depended on their usual balanced attack led by the threesome of seniors Ismael Villegas, Xavier Padilla and Anthony Armijo.
Armjo and Padilla were freshmen who played well when Santa Rosa was the victim in Pecos’ initial championship. Now they are in quest of a fourth straight title. Armijo has been chili-hot in the tournament, and didn’t slow down against Newcomb. He scored 19 points that included four of what has become his trademark 3.
Padilla also scored 19 and Villegas had the game-high 22 points.
There were also a pair of 3s tossed in by senior point guard Devin Gonzales, junior Willie Trujillo came off the bench to also deposit a 3, Jacob Sandoval scored a basket and the final points of the game came on a bucket by Panther Rolando Sandoval. In all, Harge’s sharpshooters came away with eight from 3-point range.
And Magdalena had no problem overwhelming 6th seeded Jal, 71-39. It was led once again by sophomore Joren Mirabal, one of three players on the roster coached by their father. Joren had the game-high 22 points in just three quarters.
Now the Steers will find out if they are the top team in 2A or another victim of the run put together by Pecos, which is now 109-8 overall in its fourth season.
