Sports
Softball Teams Headed To State

Moriarty's Coach Says Season

In Hibernation

A Tale of Two Athletes

'Stangs, Bears Get District Track Titles

Monarch Is in Rare Sprinting Form

Estancia Making Play for 3rd Title

Del Norte Stung by Moriarty

Bears Dominate

Sports Shorts

More
Sports

HOME	CLASSIFIEDS	OBITUARIES	SPORTS	OPINION

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Estancia Wins It

By Harold Smith
Mountain View Telegraph
    The fifth-ranked Estancia High boys basketball team earned its second straight District 8-2A tournament title on Saturday night.
    The Bears (24-3) beat Bosque School 52-46 in the championship game at Estancia's gym for their 10th consecutive victory.
    "We played with a lot of patience, except for about 2-3 minutes," Bears coach Mike Trujillo said of his team, which meticulously sought the good shot against a Bosque 2-3 zone.
    Three key plays in the decisive third quarter helped the Bears garner a 34-28 lead.
   

David Ortiz scored on a layup at the 6:11 mark for a 25-22 advantage. On a fastbreak, he gave the ball up to point-guard Steven Trujillo, who then, with an on-target behind-the-back bounce pass, sent it back to Ortiz for the goal.
   

Trujillo, for his second 3-pointer, faked a pass then knocked down a jumper from the top of the key with 3:08 left to expand the lead to 30-24.
   

R.J. Rice's hook shot over Bosque center Ryan Schaeffer, with a minute remaining, gave his team a 6-point lead at quarter's end.
    "You play a different game against a taller player," said the 6-foot-3 Rice, who had a game-high 18 points. "(Schaeffer has) got to be like 6-7. You have to watch what shots you take, do more fakes."
    Estancia was 6-0 in regular-season district play. The Bears also were undefeated in 8-2A in 2007.
    Estancia will now host District 6-2A runner-up Santa Rosa in a Class 2A state-tournament first-round game on Saturday. The Lions (19-7) beat the Bears 47-33 in Santa Rosa way back on Dec. 11.
    "(Santa Rosa is) a strong team," said Ortiz, who had 15 points versus the Bobcats. "But we're not the same team that we were when we played them the first time."
    It won't be easy.
    "They're probably the most disciplined team in the state," Mike Trujillo said of the Lions. "We're pretty even athletically, but I think we might be the better basketball team."
    Estancia jumped out to an 18-7 lead in the first quarter against Bosque. But, as has been the norm, the Bobcats (19-9) fought back.
    Bosque outscored the Bears 15-5 in the second quarter to close to 23-22 by halftime. The teams traded buckets in the fourth at 18-18.
    Estancia's Alan Gonzalez scored 12 points, mostly on dribble drives, and Trujillo chipped in seven. Bobcats Johnathon Allison and Kyle Klabunde had 12 points apiece.
    "I held (Schaeffer) to eight points," Rice said. "I'm happy about that. I hear he's their leading scorer."
   
Estancia girls
    Bosque School, for the second straight season, defeated the Lady Bears in the girls' district-tournament championship game.
    The Bobcats beat Estancia 36-34 at Bosque in the finals on Friday night. The Bears dropped to 18-11, and the Bobcats improved to 17-9.
    "We were working hard," said Estancia's Victoria Barner, who scored 11 points. "It just seemed like it wasn't meant to be. No. 13 (for Bosque, Casey Manzanares) really pushed it."
    Emily Rogers, a 6-foot post, paced the Bobcats with 13 points, and Manzanares had 11. Erin Thomas contributed eight points for the Bears.
    "(Manzanares) has one move," said Mike Trujillo, also Estancia's girls coach. "She passes, then does a give and go. We know she does it. But we played flat-footed."
    "Bosque is the type of school, both the boys and girls, that'll go after it. They'll come at you for 32 minutes."
    In order to advance to Friday's contest, the Lady Bears eliminated visiting Menaul 57-10 in the district semifinals on Feb. 27. Kaiya Coburn led EHS with 14 points.
    The Bears did make the cut for the state tournament. But as the 8-2A runner-up, Estancia will match up in the first round on Friday against 6-2A winner Texico (25-2).
    "They're the No. 1 team in the state," Trujillo said. "But we're not going to go down and there and just give up."
    "We're going to have to go there, play hard and try to have fun," Barner said.
   
   
    Bears
    hoops
    Next Up:
   

Estancia girls at Texico, state Class 2A first-round game, Friday, 6 p.m.
   

Estancia boys host Santa Rosa, state 2A first-round game, Saturday, 6 p.m.