Ad
Valencia County basketball teams enjoy holiday tourneys
Published
Modified
Belen (5-6) defeated Valencia 63-47 on Dec. 26 in the opening round of the Stu Clark Tournament in Las Vegas, N.M., in what was the first of at least three games between the two county rivals.
“It’s a great win. Valencia is always tough,” said Donald Marquez, BHS coach.
However, both coaches prefer not facing each other outside of district action.
“Usually, you go to these holiday tournaments to see different competition — let alone a district opponent that’s in your county,” said Jesse Hathoot, VHS coach.
After trailing throughout, Valencia (6-7) rallied within two points in the third quarter only to see the Eagles regroup and pull away.
Marquez called it a “team effort,” crediting the defense of guard Torin Karnes and the inside play of Sammy Sanchez, who “probably played his best game of the season.”
The Eagles lost their next two games to the host schools, falling to Robertson, 76-51, and to West Las Vegas, 72-56.
Sandwiched between losses to Belen and St. Michael’s, VHS had a solid 48-41 victory over Taos.
“Our kids came out very hungry and fired up,” Hathoot said. “We have a lot of 4A wins right now. I think that’s something we can build on.”
In other boys’ action, Los Lunas (4-7) defeated Piedra Vista, 42-35. The Tigers travel Thursday to Farmington and Saturday to Las Cruces.
Ad
In girls’ basketball, both Los Lunas (8-3) and Valencia (10-4) took part in the Las Cruces Holiday Hoopla, with all three opponents set in advance.
VHS ran the table, going 3-0 against Centennial, 43-39, Catalina Foothills of Tucson, 43-31, and Organ Mountain, 51-28.
“We got to play some bigger, stronger teams,” said Raymond Montoya, Jaguars coach. “Our team showed maturity, being able to put close games away.”
LLHS lost 58-38 to Sandia, No. 1 in 5A. The Tigers rebounded with victories over Organ Mountain, 59-42, and Centennial, 44-29. Los Lunas hosts Valencia at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Belen (5-8) went winless at the Roswell Goddard Holiday Tournament, with losses to Roswell, 63-36, Albuquerque Academy, 44-33, and Shiprock, 40-35.
Friday, the Eagles visit Los Alamos.
