Consider the statement made.
The Runnin’ ‘Dogs had an added chance to insert themselves firmly in the conversation for a top-eight seed in the upcoming Class 5A state bracket Tuesday when they traveled to Moriarty to take on Grants.
The two squads had been scheduled to square off Jan. 6 in the semifinal round of the Gallup Bengal Invitational, but a rule regarding school cancellations due to weather prevented Grants from taking the court.
They settled on a neutral site for an add-in bout, however, that pitted the No. 8 Bulldogs against the No. 7 Pirates in a 5A showdown.
The ‘Dogs by no means made it easy on head coach Michael Mondragon’s nerves, taking it down to the wire, but clutch performances in the final moments gave Artesia the win, 51-47.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our guys, the way we handled the trip and came out and jumped on them right away,” Mondragon said today. “This was a great team win. Everybody from the starters to the guys off the bench did things that helped us get that win last night, and it’s a big 5A win for us.”
Tied 37-all heading into the fourth, Bryce McAlister took charge to kick off the final eight minutes, logging a breakaway layup off the steal and a pair of free throws on the offensive boards to make it 41-37 Bulldogs.
Matt Vail answered for the Pirates, however, with both ends of a one-and-one and a trey, and with a bucket by Adrian Sanchez, Grants pulled in front by a shot, 44-41, with just over three minutes remaining.
Devon Torres wasted no time providing that shot, however, draining a three to reinstate the deadlock. But with a McAlister free throw the only response to three straight points by Vail as the game fell under two minutes, Artesia was behind again and in need of a spark.
Enrique Cosio obliged as the final minute approached, launching a clutch longball that made it 48-47, and with a steal as the final 59 seconds began, the Bulldogs were able to force Grants to foul in order to stop the clock.
That they did with 18 seconds remaining, and Taylor Null hit the front end of a one-and-one to send the Pirates up the court in need of a three to secure a win, a bucket for the tie.
Null opted to take care of that decision for them, however, blocking a shot by Vail to return the ball to the ‘Dogs. Grants had no choice but to foul Dean with four seconds remaining, and he put a tie out of reach with both ends of a one-and-one to set the final: 51-47.
“What I really liked most was that we found a way to close it out in the stretch,” Mondragon said. “We made some big plays there at the end, and that’s something we’ve struggled with a little bit in the last couple of weeks. But we finally found a way to finish, and that gives us a lot of confidence going into the second round of district.”
The boys in orange got off to a quick start Tuesday against the Pirates, taking a 7-0 lead on a three and a layup by Torres and a drive to the hoop by McAlister. Grants was able to inch back within one midway through, but a pair from beyond the arc by Chaney Hardt and an old-fashioned three-point play from Alan Cosio helped see the Bulldogs to an eight-point advantage going into the second, 19-11.
There, the Pirates began to plunder from the perimeter, nailing four three-pointers. But with the help of two from Dean and McAlister, the ‘Dogs were able to stay in front at the break, 30-25.
Joe Willingham and Vail traded and-ones to start the third and Willingham followed with a turnaround jumper in the paint, but a 9-0 run by Grants gave them their first lead of the night, 37-35, with 1:23 to go in the period, and the ‘Dogs needed a pair from the stripe by McAlister to make it even heading into the fourth.
McAlister finished with 12 points on the night for the Bulldogs, followed by Dean and Torres with eight each, and Vail led all scorers with 17.
The Bulldogs (16-7, 2-1) will now prepare to join the Lady ‘Dogs in hosting Lovington to kick off the second round of District 4-AAAAA play Friday at Bulldog Pit. The girls will tip off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the boys at 7 p.m.
“We really want to encourage everybody to come out and support these kids,” Mondragon said. “These are our last regular-season home games of the year, and we’re going to do an ‘orange-out.’ We’ve got the tailgate, the truck raffle – there’ll be a lot going on, and we just want to thank everybody for their continued support.
“I really like where we’re going right now. We’ve got a lot of momentum, we beat a good opponent last night, and we’re looking forward to carrying that back into district and making a run at a district championship. These guys have really worked hard all year long, and it sure would be nice to give ourselves the opportunity to get one of those. I feel like we’re in great shape right now. We just have to keep fighting with each game, each possession, and if we do that, we’re going to be fine.”
