Demons get crucial win over Los Lunas

Apr. 18—You mess with the bull, you get the horns.

Beaten in its most recent outing against Albuquerque High, Class 5A's eighth-ranked Santa Fe High boys basketball team roared back with a dominant performance in a must-win game against visiting Los Lunas on Saturday night inside Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium. The Demons sank seven 3-pointers en route to a 55-35 rout of the previously unbeaten and fourth-ranked Tigers.

Santa Fe, 6-2 overall and 5-1 in District 5-5A, now controls its postseason fate. The Demons turn around and play at Los Lunas on Wednesday, then host Capital a week later in what could be a run to a district title and 5-5A's lone automatic bid to the state tournament set for May 3-8 in Albuquerque.

Santa Fe never trailed in Saturday's game, rolling to a 15-3 lead just seven minutes in. Los Lunas (5-1 overall, 5-1 in district) managed just one made shot in the first 11 minutes and had as many points in the first half (15) as hot-shooting Demons guard Cody Garcia.

A talented 5-foot-11 guard and co-captain, Garcia did early on what he does so well — make big buckets, often with a hand in his face. His third 3-pointer of the early going came just 90 seconds into the second quarter, opening a 20-4 lead. He hit four shots from beyond the arc in the first half, helping the Demons open a commanding 32-15 edge that was punctuated by their airtight defense.

What the first half was to Garcia, the second half was to P.J. Lovato. The 6-3 power forward had seven of his game-high 12 rebounds in the final two quarters, finishing his night with a double double; 16 points and a dozen boards.

The Demons opened what was their largest lead of the night to that point on a 3-pointer by Elefio Benavidez less than three minutes into the third quarter, a bucket that gave Santa Fe a 46-26 lead. A bullet pass from a double-teamed Garcia on the right wing to a wide-open Lovato alone in the low post opened a 23-point lead with just two minutes left in the game.

With Santa Fe and Los Lunas now tied for the 5-5A lead, it leaves the door open for Capital to snag the district title. At 4-2 in district play, the Jaguars can do no worse than a share of the district title by winning their final four games.