Story & Photo by: J.T. Keith, Sports Editor

The Artesia boys’ basketball team knew it had to play its best game in the last game of the season. The second-seeded Bulldogs defeated the Highland Hornets 55-48 at The Pit on Saturday to win the Class 4A state championship.

The dichotomy in the matchup would be the Bulldogs’ size: center 6-foot-8 Clay Kincaid, 6-foot-4 Trent Egeland, 6-foot-3 Jack Byers, 6-foot-3 Charlie Campbell, along with 6-foot-2 Cael Houghtaling and 6-foot-3 Corbyn Dominguez, against the Hornets’ speed and 3-point shooting.

The No.8 seeded Hornets started the game with a 3-pointer from Jesus Licon then Artesia guard Houghtaling made a basket. The teams traded baskets, and with Artesia trailing 8-6 late in the first quarter, Campbell made a steal and scored on a layup to tie the game at 8-8.

In the second quarter, Artesia (21-9) took its first lead at the free-throw line and started taking the ball inside, as Kincaid scored and also altered shots on the defensive end of the floor. The Bulldogs outscored the Hornets 15-7 in the second quarter to lead at halftime, 23-15.

Licon hit a 3-pointer and scored 10 points in the third quarter, while teammate DJ Spruell made a basket to give the Hornets some life.

Highland cut the Bulldogs’ lead to six points before Artesia scored on baskets by Campbell and Egeland. Campbell made two free throws to give the Bulldogs a 41-32 lead at the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, both teams traded baskets, and Houghtaling made a basket to give the Bulldogs a 48-36 lead with four minutes to play.

Highland (18-15) made a run when Kincaid fouled out with 2:15 to play. Spruell scored on a steal, cutting the lead to eight. A 3-pointer by Licon had the Hornets trailing 50-45 with just over a minute to play.

The difference down the stretch was Artesia’s Braylon Vega making two free throws with 54 seconds remaining and Campbell adding two free throws to clinch the win with 3.1 seconds to play.

“(We had) to be active,” Artesia coach Michael Mondragon said of his team’s plan for Licon. “Making sure it’s not just one guy guarding one — it’s five guarding one. We did an excellent job today. He got loose a couple of times, but palms up, standing straight up, staying steady, and playing great team defense (was the key).”

Campbell scored a team-high 15 points (13 in the second half) and had nine rebounds for the Bulldogs. Egeland and Houghtaling added 12 and 11 points, respectively, and grabbed seven rebounds each as Artesia outrebound Highland 40-34.

Hornet’s leading scorer, Jesus Licon, finished with 18 points after scoring only three in the first half. Licon was just four of 16 on attempted 3s. Limas and Spruell added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

“We probably missed 10 (or) 11 layups,” Highland coach Justin Woody said. “And it’s a credit to them and their size and strength. We just weren’t ever comfortable around the basket.”

The Bulldogs ended a 28-year drought by winning the third state basketball championship in school history. The others came under coach Bubba Jennings in 1995 and1997.

Mondragon, who has been Artesia’s head basketball coach since 2014, led the Bulldogs to the 4A state final in 2021 only to fall to Del Norte, 52-41

“Happy for our town and community,” Mondragon said. “And that blue trophy is going back south where it belongs.”