Bears shake off rust to reach Shush final

 

T he Wingate Bears aren't very big, they just play like it.

As the host team for their annual boys' basketball tournament, the Bears found themselves up against teams with size that head coach Al Martinez said he knows his team lacks.

"We're not very big, so we've been stressing playing big," Martinez said. "We know we're small, so the only advantages that we can have to use to the best to our abilities is our quickness and our shooting ability."

With seven other teams - Zuni, Wingate II (Wingate's varsity second string), Gallup Catholic, Tohatchi, Laguna-Acoma, Rehoboth and Thoreau - competing in the Wingate Shush Classic, the Bears showed that size isn't everything.

On Friday, in the opening round of the tournament, Wingate faced an elusive Gallup Catholic team who had not only size but also a plan to give Wingate a good run.

Taking control of the game, Gallup Catholic led 22-12 at the end of the first quarter. But after a pep talk from Martinez, the Bears were back in it for the second quarter, going into halftime trailing 33-28.

At the end of the third quarter the Bears still trailed behind the Panthers but came back to win, 71-59.

Senior Markus Hosteen said since his team hadn't played since Dec. 6, the Bears just need time to get into their groove.

"We came back from 12 days without playing and our first game with Gallup Catholic we were kind of rusty in the first quarter, second quarter and third quarter, but the fourth quarter, everybody got into it and we starting scoring," Hosteen said. "I guess our team's back in it."

In the semifinals on Saturday, Zuni saw just how back in it Wingate was.

With a couple of three-pointers and top-of-the key jump shots, the Bears took the 19-8 lead over Zuni.

For the next three quarters they continued to dominate the scoreboard, giving Zuni little opportunity to even score.

Martinez said it was all about his team getting back into the play that they're used to, especially after the nearly two weeks off.

"Being a 12-day layoff, I knew we were going to be rusty...We didn't have a good half (with Gallup Catholic) but we had a great second half and we wanted to carry that momentum over," Martinez said.

The Bears' momentum shined in their 42-22 lead at halftime. And it only got better. The Bears wrapped up the third quarter 50-35 and finally sealed a 75-52 win.

"...I think tonight we were a little bit more fortunate, we were able to press Zuni and control the tempo, we shot the ball real well. When the ball goes in everything looks good," Martinez said.

Wingate advanced to the championship game on Monday against the undefeated Rehoboth Lynx in a match-up that would truly test Wingate's ability to play big.

Results were not available by press time Monday.

"Last night I was a little surprised because we were sluggish, we had good practice but when you have a layoff you're not as sharp as you want to be," Martinez said. "But I think, right now, after tonight's game, we're hitting on all cylinders and I think you're going to have to be ready for a team like Rehoboth."

Zuni head coach Wilfred Eriacho Jr., after defeating Wingate II, 61-48, on Friday, said his team came ready to play and were sure they could run with Wingate.

"I think we did an excellent job yesterday and today, we took a step backwards," Eriacho said. "Our guard wasn't very strong tonight. Our strong suit was our post play with Matthew Eriacho and Jalen Yepa.

"The teams that I bring to the tournament are teams that are going to compete and I think coach Martinez knows that," he said. "We've always had some good ball games. Unfortunately, tonight, I think, this is the worst Martinez has ever beat me."

But Eriacho said win or lose the experience of competitive basketball in the area is something his team will take from the tournament. Martinez shared the same idea.

"It's early in the season and you want to put yourself in the position where there's pressure," Martinez said. "Once we go against the Tohatchi's and the Bloomfield's the kids will crack a little bit but big games, big tournaments tend to season your kids up."

Rehoboth Lynx

With a couple of players well over 6 feet, the Lynx showed how dominating they can be in the paint.

In the opening round of the tournament, Rehoboth defeated Thoreau, 75-55, to move on to the semifinals.

While their height was a key, Lynx head coach Kevin Zwiers said the 20-point win was made possible by the team's defensive play.

On Saturday night Rehoboth played in the semifinal match-up with Tohatchi. They again played big inside but also showed great potential from the three-point arc.

In the end, Rehoboth came out on top with a 58-45 win and a date in the championship game against Wingate at 8:30 p.m. on Monday.

Zuni

The Zuni Thunderbirds ran past Wingate II in the opening round of the tournament, 61-48, on Friday night. Against Wingate's first string in the semifinals, they had to rely on freshman post Jalen Yepa and senior post Matthew Eriacho. But the Thunderbirds couldn't get many outside shots to drop.

Coach Eriacho said his team struggled to find a productive guard for the important match-up. Zuni played Tohatchi for third place on Monday at 7 p.m. Results were not available at press time Monday.

Tohatchi

Having defeated Laguna-Acoma in the first round, 66-55, the Cougars faced a tough Rehoboth team in the semifinals.

With a handful of jump shots to start the match-up, Tohatchi kept Rehoboth's guards from feeding into the paint.

But a good first half wasn't enough to pull Tohatchi through as they were defeated, 58-45.

The Cougars played Zuni for third place on Monday at 7 p.m. Results were not available at press time Monday.

Thoreau

The Hawks may have gotten the short end of the stick as they met Rehoboth in the first round of the tournament. Though they didn't have the height, the Hawks had senior guard Jeremiah Johnson to look to.

Johnson led the Hawks with 11 points in the game and some steals along the way. But his quick hands and feet weren't enough to and Thoreau lost, 75-55.

The defeat put them in the consolation bracket where they met Laguna Acoma. A running team, the Hawks used their quickness and shooting ability to outscore Laguna for a 69-51 victory.

Thoreau played Gallup Catholic for the consolation championship at 5:30 p.m. Monday. Results were not available at press time Monday.

Gallup Catholic

The District 6-1A Panthers showed great potential as they ran with Wingate in the opening round of the tournament. Gallup Catholic fell to Wingate, 59-71.

They moved on to the consolation semifinals where they met Wingate II. There, the Panthers showed their true colors as a highly competitive team, defeating the Bears second string, 61-39.

The Panthers played Thoreau for the consolation championship on Monday.

Laguna-Acoma

Laguna-Acoma fell to Tohatchi in the first round of the tournament. With a handful of juniors and seniors, Laguna gave Tohatchi a good run and tied the game at 21 at halftime.

They ran with Tohatchi for the next two quarters and kept it close. But their efforts weren't enough as they fell, 66-55.

Laguna moved on to the consolation semifinals with Thoreau and lost again, 69-51.

The Hawks played Wingate II for seventh place at 4 p.m. Monday.

Wingate II (sub)

A team no less productive than the varsity team, Wingate II is made up of mostly seniors. However, they couldn't get past a fast Zuni team and lost in the first round, 61-48.

They moved on to the consolation semifinals against Gallup Catholic and lost, 61-39.

Wingate II played Laguna for seventh place on Monday.

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