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Thursday, March 6, 2008

Monarchs Upset Los Lunas

By Harold Smith
Mountain View Telegraph
    LOS LUNAS— The No. 10 Manzano High boys basketball team was on fire.
    In a sweltering gymnasium packed with fans, the visiting Monarchs sank eight 3-pointers, five by Mark Tenorio, to upset fourth-ranked Los Lunas 64-56 in the District 5-5A tournament semifinal game Friday.
    "My teammates always give it to me in the right place," said Tenorio, a 6-foot-4, 174-pound junior small forward who poured in 21 points. "They made sure I got open shots."
    Manzano led 31-20 at the half. Tenorio hit three treys in the initial 16 minutes of play.
    The Tigers (18-9) surged in the third to tie the score at 41 with 5 seconds remaining. But Tenorio, at the buzzer, canned his fourth 3, this one from downtown, for a 44-41 lead.
    Tenorio got his fifth 3— it bounced high off the rim then fell through— on a shot from the deep left corner. The Monarchs enjoyed a 50-41 advantage with 6:28 to go in the game.
    Tenorio also was Manzano's primary ballhandler in the waning minutes as the Monarchs milked the clock with a spread offense. Tenorio would dribble in and out of the lane, always avoiding the 5-second call, while also looking for an open teammate.
    Twice in this mode, Tenorio hit teammate Isaac Dow of Edgewood for open baseline jumpers. In addition, the Monarchs sank 7-of-8 free throws in the final minute.
    "We play to our players' tendencies now, what they're good at," said Jordan Burd, a 6-1 junior point guard who lives in Edgewood.
    Manzano's other key scorers were Dow (11), Burd (nine), Kyle Lantz (eight) and Jesse Paulsen (five). Tiger Matt Billups had 22.
    "I think, with us, it's getting it into the post, like me, and then kicking it out to our sharpshooters," said Paulsen, a 6-1 senior from Sandia Park.
    No. 3 Highland (24-3) on Saturday edged the Monarchs 59-58 in the district finals on the Hornets' floor. Dow and Paulsen had 12 points apiece.
    "They jumped on us in the first quarter," Manzano coach Travis Julian said. "They came out and pressed us, and we turned the ball over eight times."
    The Monarchs beat Eldorado (11-17) 60-43 in a district second-round game at Manzano on Feb. 27. Paulsen scored 11.
    The two wins and the close game versus the Hornets didn't seem to have a positive affect on Manzano's state seeding.
    The Monarchs (18-11) were selected Sunday as the 11th seed. They will travel to Las Cruces to play Mayfield (17-8), the sixth seed, for a state Class 5A first-round matchup Saturday.
    "I know (the Trojans) have real good post players," Julian said. "They're physical. It's going to be a challenge."
    But Julian has faith in his Monarchs.
    "They play with a lot of heart," he said. "That gives me confidence. I'd really like to get our seniors to the Pit."
    The state quarterfinals will be played in University Arena on Wednesday.
    Dow, now a senior, was consigned to the bleachers as the team's 13th man his sophomore year during the Monarchs' state-title season. He also missed playing in the Pit as a junior— when Manzano placed second— due to an injury.
    "Isaac has been a warrior for us," Julian said. "I'd especially like to get him the opportunity."
   
   
    Monarchs hoops
    Next Up: Manzano boys at Las Cruces Mayfield, Class 5A state first-round game, Saturday, 7 p.m.