Navajo Prep boys advance into 3A state semis
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Navajo Prep's Jude Thomas (4) tries to keep the ball away from guarding Santa Fe Prep player Kiran Belyeu (3) on Wednesday at the Rio Rancho Events Center in the 3A state playoff game. Navajo Prep posted a 66-56 win to advance into Friday's semifinal game with Santa Fe Indian School on Friday at 1 p.m.
RIO RANCHO, N.M.
The Navajo Prep boys basketball team is back in the Class 3A state semifinals for the second year in a row.
On Wednesday the second-seeded Eagles received 19 points from senior Jude Thomas and a dozen from junior Xavier Nez in overturning Santa Fe Prep, 66-56, in one of four quarterfinal games played at the Rio Rancho Events Center.
Navajo Prep plays No. 3 seed Santa Fe Indian School at 1 p.m. inside the iconic Pit on the University of New Mexico campus on Friday in Albuquerque. SFIS defeated district rival Santa Fe St. Michael’s 61-51 in its quarterfinal game.
The top side of the bracket features top-seed Las Vegas Robertson pitted against No. 4 Hot Springs in one semi finals. The winners from Friday’s contests will play in Saturday’s championship game, which is scheduled for 12 p.m. at the Pit.
The Eagles jumped on Santa Fe Prep by nailing four treys in the opening quarter for a 21-8 lead.
That cushion gave Navajo Prep some leeway as the Eagles had to work through some early foul trouble with the 6’2” Nez and 6’3” senior post Orion King being saddled on the bench.
“We did a lot of good things early and then we got into foul trouble and took ourselves off the floor,” Navajo Prep coach Matt Melvin said. “We put ourselves in tough positions because we’re not very big.
“Orion was the first one off,” he added. “He didn’t make it through the first quarter and it changed what we wanted to do.”
With those early foul woes, Navajo Prep had others step up. Senior Wallen Descheeny and freshman Breyden Benally scored six points apiece in that opening half. At the break, the Eagles led 35-23.
“I feel like we’re just so deep,” Thomas said. “I mean, when those [starters] come off it hurts but we got other guys that are just as capable.”
The much taller Santa Fe Prep team closed to within 35-32 midway through the third quarter following an old-fashioned three-point play from senior Mitch Grover, who finished with game-highs of 22 points and 14 rebounds.
“(Santa Fe Prep) was a tough matchup for us,” Melvin said. “The one thing we didn’t want to do (was get in foul trouble) and that really changed our game plan from the jump, but we found ways to keep ourselves in the lead and not play from behind.”
Behind a quarter-ending 12-4 run, the Eagles worked the lead back to 47-36 with Nez scoring four while Thomas and Descheeny hit some big threes.
“That is what it takes at this point,” Melvin said of responding to Santa Fe Prep’s run. “I think something we’ve learned the last couple years is the teams that make it down the stretch are the ones that are going to be able to not let teams get on big runs.
“And every time a team makes one, the kids answer,” he added.
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