No quit in this rousing turnaround from the St. Michael’s

In the unforgettable famous words of the late Jim Valvano, “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up,” and the St. Michael’s boys basketball team has done just that after a dismal start and with head coach Dave Rodriguez remaining on administrative leave.

It looked like a shutdown, wasted season when the Horsemen lost their first 10 starts before bouncing back to win back-to-back over Crownpoint and Albuquerque Bosque in the tournament they hosted.

From there under long-time assistant coach Garcia, they stunned district leader Robertson when they rallied from a 40-22 deficit at home in the third quarter to upset the Cardinals in overtime. Now they stand at 10-13 overall and 7-3 in district after disposing of visiting West Las Vegas, 63-43, Monday night.

And by going 2-0 over the Dons, and by scoring 63 points each time, St. Michael’s has settled into third place in district and will face WLV again in the quarterfinals at Perez-Shelley gymnasium Wednesday night. The winner moves on, the loser packs its gear.

Since Garcia has taken over the reigns of head coach, it has been an amazing jump for a team that has suffered through injuries, adversity, and with its head coach sidelined. But Garcia has certainly stepped in in fine style.

The only drawback is Raton becoming the 2nd-seed in the tiebreaker as it and St. Michael’s defeated each other by 10, but the Tigers (16-7, 7-3) came out on top via the point differential, a plus 39 for them to a plus 31 for the Horsemen.

As in the initial Robertson game when it rallied back late, Garcia has got the team doing it several times, and this included the triumphs over Crownpoint, West Las Vegas, and even Santa Fe Indian School. Still, St. Michael’s ranks fifth in 3A, and that’s quite an upward turnabout.

“Our defensive intensity made a big difference in the third quarter,” Garcia, “we have to get our hands on the ball. We got a lot of deflections and stops, and got to some loose balls.”

Which proves these Horsemen never let down, or as Valvano said in his ESPN tear-jerker, “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”

This latest win came on the strength of the usual balanced St. Michael’s attack. Junior guard Adam Montoya paved the way with 15 points, eight coming in the fourth quarter, junior guard Marco C de Baca added a dozen, and senior wing Devin Flores tallied 10.