Bernalillo Spartans escape Capitol with a dub

Benalillo vs. Capitol

Jan 2, 2025

SANTA FE — The Bernalillo Spartans basketball team (6-6) are heading into the new year fresh off a victory as they defeated the Capitol Jaguars (6-7) 59-53 on the road Dec. 31.

“They were playing hard,; they were hustling, and our bench was very active ... This was a complete team win today,” said head coach Bryan Gonzales.

Leading the charge for the Spartans was winger Nathan Encinias, who logged a double-double and led the team in points. Encinias finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block.

“We took a couple of back-to-back losses, so it’s a good bounce-back win, and it’s going to swing the momentum our way this new year,” Encinias said.

The Jaguars led in the first couple of minutes by a score of 5-2, but it wasn’t long before the Spartans took the lead and never looked back.

The Spartans defense was relentless as they successfully set traps, which led to many half-court violations for the Jaguars.

Senior point guard Michael Pacheco was one of the Spartan’s high-motor defenders who racked up a couple of pass deflections and steals.

Spartan standout Uriel Castro also had a nice game, finishing with eight points and seven rebounds.

At the end of the third quarter, the Spartans held a 47-36 lead and shot well from beyond the arc, capitalizing on five made 3s.

Despite a strong 19-point fourth quarter charge from the Jaguars, the Spartans were able to hang on to the win as eighth grader Elias Rodriguez was able to ice the game with some fourth-quarter free throws. Rodriguez finished the game with 13 points.

“He’s a shooter and an all-around great kid. He’s got a bright future with the program,” Gonzales said. “We have all the confidence in the world in him.”

The Spartans will begin the Terry Darnell Holiday Classic Jan. 2 as they face off against Kirtland Central (3-5) at home.