Spartans hit hoops tournaments

BERNALILLO — It wasn’t just Rio Rancho and Albuquerque that had big tournaments going on this weekend in prep basketball.

In Class 4A, the Bernalillo girls hit the Alice King Tournament, where they finished in sixth. Roswell walked away the big winners.

The Spartan boys finished fifth in the Al Almendariz Tournament in Santa Fe. Capital, out of Santa Fe, took the trophy in that tournament.

ALICE KING TOURNAMENT (BHS girls)The Spartan girls rebounded after a tough opening round in the Alice King Tournament in which they lost to Goddard 66-38 despite a 10-point, six-rebound performance from sophomore Samaria Brown. Senior Danielle Esquibel added nine points and six steals to the tally.

Brown came back and demolished Estancia in the next round, posting a double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds) and leading her team to the 48-38 win.

Despite falling short in the final round to Melrose, the Spartans have a lot of positives to build on under head coach Ashley Duran.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Dec. 12, 2024

Round 1

— Goddard 66, Bernalillo 38

— Laguna Acoma 56, Estancia 49

— Jemez 55, Moriarty 54

— Roswell 67, Melrose 42

Dec. 13, 2024

Winner Bracket

— Goddard 64, Laguna Acoma 38

— Roswell 63, Jemez 26

Consolation Bracket

— Bernalillo 48, Estancia 38

— Melrose 41, Moriarty 30

Dec. 14, 2024

7th place game: Estancia 42, Moriarty 40

5th place game: Melrose 43, Bernalillo 39

3rd place game: Jemez 53, Laguna Acoma 35

Championship: Roswell 57, Goddard 43

AL ARMENDARIZ TOURNAMENT (BHS boys)SANTA FE – It was a fifth-place finish for the Spartan boys, but that doesn’t come close to telling the full story.

The Spartans were defeated in the opening round of the Al Almendariz Tournament, but not before Uriel Castro scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. Senior Christian Sanchez grabbed eight points, five rebounds and four assists in the contest as well.

It was a demoralizing, 26-point loss for the Bernalillo boys, but they weren’t down for long. As if refusing to take another “L”, the Spartans won both of their next tournament games by a single basket each.

In their 45-43 second-round victory over Santa Fe Prep, Castro got 12 points, three assists, three steals and three rebounds. Senior Nathan Encinias was a beast under the basket, grabbing seven rebounds. The breakout star of the game, however, was eighth grader Elias Rodriguez, who put up 10 points and three rebounds along with one assist and one steal.

In the final round, the Spartans took down the Aztec Tigers 65-62 on the back of a big night for the BHS senior talent. Castro hit 15 points and seven rebounds. Encinias added offensive production to his stout defense, putting up 13 points to go with eight rebounds. Senior Michael Pacheco broke out for 12 points, two rebounds and four assists.

The Bernalillo boys left the tournament with the fifth-place trophy, the best possible after a first-round loss.

{span style=”text-decoration: underline;”}TOURNAMENT RESULTS{/span}

Dec. 12, 2024

Round 1

— Pecos 72, Bernalillo 46

— Capital 75, Aztec 53

— Pojoaque 69, Santa Fe Prep 40

— ATC 42, Cottonwood Classical 33

Dec. 13, 2024

Winner Bracket

— Capital 77, ATC 41

— Pojoaque 73, Pecos 51

Consolation Bracket

— Bernalillo 45, Santa Fe Prep 43

— Aztec 81, Cottonwood Classical 53

Dec. 14, 2024

7th place game: Santa Fe Prep 57, Cottonwood Classical 41

5th place game: Bernalillo 65, Aztec 62

3rd place game: Pecos 62, ATC 38

Championship: Pojoaque 55, Capital 52