Blog

Ah, that feeling that comes at the end of the state basketball tournament.

It's a combination of relief, fulfillment and disappointment. I'm relieved that the long days are over; fulfilled because I love postseason basketball and disappointed that it's over till next March.

First congrats to the winners. The metro area boasts three champions this year, the La Cueva and Hope Christian boys, and Sandia's girls.

Here's a look at the games ...

CLASS 3A

No. 1 Hope Christian 55, No. 2 Sandia Prep 41 -- The Huskies left you wondering if they are the best team in the state, no matter the classification.

Saturday marked Hope Christian's fourth, and most dominant win over Sandia Prep, the No. 2 team in Class 3A. The Huskies have seven other very impressive wins ...

• Two against Class 5A No. 1 seed Eldorado
• One at Class 4A No. 2 seed and runner up Espanola Valley, by 10
• Two over Class 5A No. 4 seed Manzano
• One against Class 4A semfinalist Volcano Vista, by 32 points
• One against Class 3A semifinalist Santa Fe Indian, by 25 points

And don't forget their lone loss was to La Cueva on a buzzer-beater.

Said Sandia Prep coach Willie Ownens: "They have a great team. Ask Eldorado. Ask Espanola. They'll tell you."

Hope Christian coach Jim Murphy was more reserved. When asked how his team would fare in Class 5A, he said they'd be among the top 10. Sitting next to him in the media room was his son, Huskies standout guard Matt Murphy. When the younger Murphy heard that he smiled and shook his head. He knew better.

CLASS 5A (girls)

No. 2 Sandia 42, No. 1 Eldorado 40 -- OK, so the first 30 minutes weren't that pleasing to watch. The next 1:50 brought drama, then the final 10 seconds was odd.

Eldorado, which had beaten Sandia twice in the regular season, battled icy shooting (23 percent) and was able to tie the game late, 36-all, on a short jumper by Kya De Garmo.

Sandia got ahead after a layup by Jaleesa Russell and a defensive stop. But Eldorado had the ball, down 42-40, with nine seconds to play. The Eagles inbounded and De Garmo heaved a shot from just the other side of halfcourt with about five seconds to play.

I don't know if De Garmo, usually a heady player, lost track of time or didn't see the clock. Either way it made for an awkward ending.

CLASS 5A (boys)

No. 5 La Cueva 61, No. 2 Mayfield 53 -- Ronnie Daniels helped push La Cueva to another state title against Mayfield.

You might remember that he carried the ball 44 times for 202 yards in the football championship game. Well, on Saturday in The Pit, Daniels scored a game-high 18 points and added six assists to lift the Bears again.

The key stretch came when the Bears and Trojans were trading blows in the fourth quarter. Daniels scored seven straight points, including a 3 that tied the game at 50. Mayfield, which missed some critical free throws, never led again.

The Trojans, who had gone 33-for-36 vs. Valley in the semis, were only 11-for-23 vs. La Cueva, including 6-for-11 in the fourth quarter. La Cueva, meanwhile, shot 10-for-11 in the fourth from the foul line. Isaiah Howard went 8-for-8.

The win marked a first for veteran coach Frank Castillo. For all he's done, he'd never won back-to-back titles.