Gallup bests Miyamura in hometown rivalry

GALLUP

There is no greater pressure than when facing a hometown rivalry.

That is why the Gallup High School boys’ basketball team made a point to defeat Miyamura in the third-place game of Gallup’s home tournament, the Gallup Boys’ Basketball Tournament, over the weekend.

The Bengals defeated the Patriots 80-53.

Gallup head coach Joshua Dunlap said his team fed off of the pressure and played tough defense.

“I think there was a lot of pressure on us when we play Miyamura,” he said. “We’re always reminded of how they’ve never beat the boys’ program.”

The Bengals were wishy-washy with the Patriots for most of the first quarter. Both teams ground it out, going back and forth. Gallup ended the first quarter ahead 20-17.

Gallup turned up the heat a little in the second quarter, going on an 8-0 run to lead 28-17. It gave them the leverage they needed to keep Miyamura at bay.

Gallup missed a number of second-change opportunities with turnovers haunting the Patriots. Gallup led 33-28 going into halftime.

Miyamura head coach Reyes Hernandez said his team had hoped to play its own game, but was quickly drawn into Gallup’s.

“We played into their game plan,” he said. “They want to push the ball, push the tempo. We had to control the tempo a little bit more and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Gallup continued to control the game offensively, but most importantly, they held the Patriots on defense.

The Bengals went 11-0 to start the third quarter, followed by an 8-0 run to close the quarter up 56-35.

Gallup continued to execute on offense and defense well into the final quarter, before closing in on the win 80-53.

Hernandez said he warned his team of Gallup’s strengths in carrying the tempo, but it still slipped pass them.

“I told the guys coming into this game, that’s what they are, a great man-to-man team, and we didn’t execute,” Hernandez said. “All credit to Gallup, they played great defense.”

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