'That's Just How We Work': Off 16-straight, Calabaza and Spartans prep for more

BERNALILLO — It’s a sweet 16 down on Spartan Alley.

Someone’s birthday? Nope, but it sure has been a party.

After a successful home court defense with a first-place finish in the Terry Darnell Holiday Classic, the Bernalillo girls basketball team has secured its 16th straight victory to stay perfect on the season.

It has been a complete team effort in what has been one of the best runs Bernalillo athletics have ever seen, but who has been at the forefront of this surge?

Junior captain Trinity Calabaza.

Calabaza currently leads the team in points and rebounds per game, averaging close to a double-double with 12 and 8. Bernalillo’s center put up 20 last week against Santa Fe for her third game of the year with 20 or more points.

She recently took home the MVP of the Holiday Classic in Bernalillo’s second tournament win of the season.

“This is a really good team; my past two years weren't the best,” Calabaza said. “It's been the same group since my freshman year, to now my junior year, so we have been showing a lot of our connection throughout the past two years, and our record shows it as well.”

Finishes of 13-16 and 11-16  in Calabaza’s underclassmen years have already been trumped on this run, with a chance to tally more wins than they have in the past two seasons combined. 

More importantly to the Spartans, a trip to The Pit has gone from a pipe dream to a real possibility, but the foundation to a state tournament trip may have begun long before the season tipped off.

“We were really focused during summer basketball. We were in a big tournament in June, and that month really showed us how much potential we had,” Calabaza said. “It was a lot of hard work and dedication, especially for our girls who don't live in Bernalillo, having to come down for practices during the summer. And honestly, it was just a lot of hard work.”

On top of the offseason work, the team has had an extra layer of motivation this season, with head coach Ashley Darnell-Duran currently battling breast cancer.

“I think what pushed us more is our coach,” Calabaza said. “Mentally, we were all saying we got to fight for her, we know our potential this year.”

Inspiration and preparation have led to domination. Bernalillo has won 13 of its games by double digits, including five victories of 20-point margins or more.

Their game plan? Get the ball inside. In a generation obsessed with 3-point shooting, the Spartans have turned back the clock. Calabaza, along with fellow center Samaria Brown, both lead the team in almost every category, creating a dangerous front-court duo.

“Our offense is mainly getting into the paint and kicking out to the guard, so we'll be able to have the open shots on the outside,” Calabaza said. “But we do focus on getting it into me and Sam, so we can go ahead and go up strong. If we can’t do that, we know how our guards can move and get open shots by having us two on the court.”

This complementary guard play includes junior Kailani Trancosa and freshman standout Jillian Lovato, rounding out what has been Bernalillo’s most talented crew since its run to the 2022 championship game.

But amidst this program turnaround, Calabaza credits improvement on the other end of the floor for the Spartans' success: Finding a new identity, through her, on the defensive side.

“I'm more of the one on the court to be talking, so I have to be loud and vocal on defense,” Calabaza said. “I think that's one of the main keys that is helping our defense this year, because our team was struggling a bit on communications, but I stepped into that, and I've been really taking the lead on being able to be loud and vocal on defense and keep the team together.”

While it may be a new role, it is nothing new for the Spartan junior, playing a similar role out on the soccer field a few months ago.

“I'm in the paint; I see the full court,” Calabaza said. “I believe that soccer has helped me, because being a goalie has taught me how to speak vocally and loudly, and it transferred onto the court. I've been told by many that I've been vocal, and my head coach likes that.”

From the turf to the hardwood, Calabaza hopes her next vocal opportunity comes on the University of New Mexico Campus for the state tourney. But for now, the message remains the same: Put in the work.

“Our mindset is to just go out there, and whatever the outcome is, we know we're going to come back better,” Calabaza said. “Even with this win streak, we have some things we still need to work on. Our coach did say this. She said, ‘No matter if we come off the court with a win, we're still going to have something to come at you with, because that's just how we work.’”