Cardinals improve to 3-0, advance to Bruce King semifinals
Dec. 9—Boys basketball
Las Vegas Robertson 78, Socorro 52
What happened: The Cardinals might be late starters to the 2022-23 season, but they are making up for lost time quickly. Robertson built a 38-25 halftime lead Thursday in the opening round of the Bruce King Tournament at Moriarty, then outscored the Warriors 20-10 in the third quarter to seal the win. Even more impressive was the balance on the offensive end, as all 11 players scored.
Top players: Jesse James Gonzales paced the Cardinals with 17 points, while Bodie Schlinger added 16 and Kenneth Montoya had 10. Warren Chewiwi led Socorro with 10 points.
What's next: The Cardinals (3-0) play District 2-3A foe Santa Fe Prep in a semifinal matchup at 3 p.m. Friday.
Girls basketball
Mesa Vista 55, Taos 51
What happened: The Lady Trojans wanted to be ready for the rigors of the District 5-2A schedule, so a matchup against the reigning District 2-4A champion in Otero Gym was in order. They built a 31-21 lead at the half before the Lady Tigers scored six straight points to open the third quarter. Mesa Vista head coach Jesse Boies called a timeout to settle his team down and they responded by pushing the lead back to double digits. It was the start of a pattern, however. "We'd go up by nine or 10 points, and they'd come back on us and close it to five or four or three," Boies said. "It was a dog fight."
Top players: Hannah Lopez had 16 points to lead Mesa Vista, and Amarissa Quintana added 15. Guard Bella Boies recorded seven assists to go with six points.
What's next: The Lady Trojans (2-0) play at home to Cuba on Saturday. Taos (0-3) plays Las Vegas Robertson on Monday.
