eNewMexican

Demons find strength in unity

James Barron

Just three weeks ago, the Santa Fe High Demons had the look of a team in turmoil. They were coming off a 12th-place finish at the 16-team APS Metro Tournament, culminating with a pair of losses — one to an Albuquerque Hope Christian team they beat by 20 points a week before, the other by letting the Hobbs Eagles pull away in the final minutes of the 11th-place game.

Santa Fe High looked disorganized during key stretches, and the frustration that showed on the bench — in the form of chair punches, disinterest and long faces staring at a losing scoreboard — was merely an extension of the discord on the court.

That was Jan. 7.

In the six games and 22 days since then, the Demons somehow dug deep and found a mental toughness that hadn’t been evident in the first half of the season. The easy answer is that a six-game winning streak (four of them in District 5-5A play) cures a lot of ills, but a deeper dive reveals a more tightknit team that doesn’t get flustered at the first sign of distress.

When Santa Fe High was down 43-40 to Los Lunas early in the fourth quarter of a District 5-5A game Jan. 21 to determine first place, it was the biggest test of its newfound identity. The Demons were just 2-7 in games decided by 10 points or less at that point, which highlighted their propensity for falling apart instead of sticking together.

Except, it didn’t happen this time. Santa Fe High went on a 13-4 spurt to forge a 53-47 lead the Tigers, ranked

fourth in Class 5A by MaxPreps.com at the time, couldn’t erase.

Four days later, the Demons found themselves in a dogfight against a physical Albuquerque Manzano squad that wouldn’t go away. They built a nine-point lead before the Monarchs cut the margin to 51-50 with less than 30 seconds left.

It came down to a pair of free throws from Joshua Trujillo, who overcame a rough first half in which he sat on the bench in foul trouble, to seal the win.

The Demons aren’t world beaters — their 71-55 win over Capital on Saturday was their largest margin of victory in district play — but they show signs of being clutch players. They have won three games by six points or less, and have come up with big stops on the defensive end.

Zack Cole, Santa Fe High’s head coach, said after the Capital win the coaching staff redoubled its effort to focus on the defensive end, especially in closing off the wings from drives, where guards can take advantage of the gaps in a defense.

“This district has some good guards who can get get downhill [into the paint] fast,” Cole said. “Whenever the ball gets to the lane, good things can happen for an offense. We do our best to keep it out. We’ve gotten better at it, and I think we can get a little better.”

The group mentality on defense augments an offense that relies heavily on junior guard Lukas Turner, who has scored at least 20 points in six of his last eight games. But getting more stops on defense allowed the Demons to get out in transition more often, which has opened opportunities for other players.

Four players reached double figures against the Jaguars — a rarity for Santa Fe High this season. Opponents are more focused than ever at trying to slow down Turner, but it has allowed seniors Santi Montoya and Rob Martinez to get better looks because of the attention Turner gets.

Cole said he saw a big difference in ball movement on offense when Turner collected his second foul in the first quarter against Capital. The Demons went on a 15-2 run that turned a 9-8 deficit into a 23-11 lead as four players scored during that stretch.

Trujillo said the team has finally bought into playing as a group instead of focusing on their own individual goals.

“The first half of the season, we weren’t as together as we are now,” Trujillo said. “That’s why we’re having so much success and being together helps us with that.”

Because of that, Santa Fe High finds itself with a golden opportunity Wednesday at Albuquerque Rio Grande, which beat the Demons in the opening round of Rio Rancho’s Jalene Berger Holiday Classic in late December. A win will secure a 5-0 mark through the first half of the district season. It also would be the third win on the road in district play — an important accomplishment for any team trying to win its district.

Just think, the conversation three weeks ago was whether Santa Fe High could get into the Class 5A State Tournament. Now, the discussion is of a potential home game for the postseason that should come with winning the 5-5A title.

It’s within reach — as long as Team Turmoil sits on the sideline.

The next three weeks will determine who Santa Fe High really is.

SPORTS

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2023-01-31T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-01-31T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://enewmexican.pressreader.com/article/282080575978017

Santa Fe New Mexican