Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Tigers rally to beat Ravens, 62-61

LLHS boys basketball team scores hard-earned win at Rio Grande

T.S. Last News-Bulletin Sports Editor; tslast@news-bulletin.com

Los Lunas Persistence really does pay off.

The Los Lunas High School boys basketball team took a never-say-die attitude into last Friday night's game at Rio Grande and came away with a hard-earned 62-61 victory over the 10th-ranked Ravens.

Los Lunas (11-12 overall, 1-4 in District 5-5A) overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to break a five-game losing streak and record its first district win of the season.

After watching his team suffer through some disappointing losses in recent weeks, LLHS coach Albert Aragon said the Tigers deserved to finally win one.

"I know I've said it before, but they just work so hard," he said of his players. "We were 0-4, yet they come to practice and still have the energy to try to get better. It was good to see them smile."

It was an especially satisfying win, considering the Ravens (11-12, 1-4) humiliated the Tigers in front of a large Los Lunas crowd in the district opener Jan. 16.

Rio built a 21-point lead by halftime and coasted to a 92-70 victory.

"When we played them the first time, they were winning all the 50-50 balls. This game, we were winning the 50-50 balls. We were more physical, and our effort was better," Aragon said.

Cheered on by a supportive crowd that followed them to Albuquerque's South Valley, the Tigers jumped out to a 12-5 lead by the end of the first quarter. Los Lunas managed to maintain a 33-29 advantage at the half, despite running into foul trouble in the second period.

Matt Billups, the Tigers' leading scorer and best ball-handler, sat on the bench the last five minutes of the first half.

"We were up by six when he went out, and we led by four at half. It was good for our guys to maintain a lead," the coach said.

But Los Lunas lost the lead in the third quarter.

"We were in man (defense), but we got into foul trouble and had to go to zone. That's when they got ahead of us," the coach said.

Reverting back to guarding Rio's sharpshooters man-to-man, and getting a blue-collar effort under the boards, the Tigers clawed back into the game.

With the score tied with four seconds left, Billups hit the second of two free throws to put the Tigers ahead. The Ravens failed to get off a potentially game-winning shot in the final seconds, and Tiger fans stormed the court to congratulate their team on a well-deserved win.

Billups finished with 17 points to lead Los Lunas. Billups' backcourt mate Kevin Kline added 15. Forward Talib Abdul-Hakeem contributed 10.

The Ravens were paced by Samuel Lente, who was held to 12 points — nearly eight points below his average.

Aragon said it's still possible for his team to dig itself out of the District 5-5A cellar.

"We just have to play hard, which we do, and cut down on our mental mistakes and make our free throws, that's the main thing," he said.

The Tigers continued their struggles at the free-throw line against the Ravens, making just 9 of 19 attempts.

Los Lunas hosted district-leading Manzano Tuesday night after News-Bulletin press time. The Tigers play at ninth-ranked Eldorado Thursday.

E-mail this story Printer-friendly version