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The Valencia Jaguars and Belen Eagles went head-to-head in boys’ and girls’ District 4-4A basketball Tuesday, settling for a split. The VHS girls (17-5, 4-0) dominated their matchup in Belen, while the visiting BHS boys were too much for the Jaguars.
The boys battled in front of a large crowd on Coaches vs. Cancer night, with the Eagles (10-11, 2-2) leading 14-10 after a frantic first quarter. BHS seniors Jasode Harris and Damian Avila came off the bench in the second quarter, helping the Eagles take control.
Avila played ball-hawking defense while Harris drained a trio of three pointers as Belen led 39-24 at halftime. Harris had 14 of his 16 points in the first half.
“Once I hit those threes, the energy just went up from there,” Harris said.
Carin Bustillos tried to keep Valencia (8-13, 0-4) close with a game high 20 points, but missed layups and turnovers dampened any VHS momentum.
“I thought we were going to make a run,” said VHS coach Jesse Hathoot. “Credit to Belen. They play really hard.”
Belen’s 66-52 victory was their second over Valencia this season after meeting in a holiday tournament.
BHS coach Donald Marquez said the Eagles’ speed was a factor. “We tried to get down the court quickly, put on a lot of pressure. Play Belen ball.”
Meanwhile, the Valencia girls, ranked third in 4A, defeated Belen (7-15, 0-4) 47-29 . VHS led 22-11 at the half and kept the pressure on in what Valencia coach Raymond Montoya called “a really good third quarter.”
Jadyn Montoya knocked down three treys during that stretch.
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Los Lunas
The Los Lunas boys and girls posted wins Tuesday against Rio Grande in District 5-4A.
It was a bounce-back game for the LLHS girls (18-4, 3-1), a 60-24 road victory, following a disappointing loss to Albuquerque High last week.
The Tigers’ defensive pressure was impressive.
“It hasn’t been there for the last few games, so that was a good sign,” said LLHS coach Manny Vigil.
Kayla Finley led the Tigers with 26 points.
It was a gutty back and forth 40-36 home victory for the LLHS boys (6-15, 1-3) to end a five-game losing streak. Josiah Griego played a pivotal role for the Tigers.
