Wingate Holiday Classic

Zuni boys come up short in third place game

FORT WINGATE, N.M.

In the third place game at the Wingate Holiday Classic, the Zuni Thunderbirds were punched in the mouth two times.

The second blow proved to be costly as the Hot Springs Tigers used a game-ending 20-2 run to pull away with a 67-46 win on Saturday.

Longtime Zuni coach Willie Eriacho said the final six and a half minutes of the game was not a true indicator of how good his team is.

“We had a couple of misfortunes on the foul side of things,” said Eriacho, whose team dropped to 3-5. “We helped them out and we didn’t get the benefit of the fouls that we should have gotten. I think the game would have been a little closer going into the middle of the fourth quarter.”

In those final minutes, the T-Birds missed 10 field goals while Hot Springs scored seven baskets from close range in their 21-point win. The Tigers also converted 6-of-12 free throws and finished the game by making 19-of-27.

Zuni, meanwhile, hit 13-of-20 free throws with six of those makes coming in the third quarter when the T-Birds cut a nine-point halftime deficit down to 43-41 heading into the fourth.

Zuni put up 20 points in that stanza with five different players scoring led by senior guard Ryan Bowekaty as he scored eight points. The T-Birds also got contributions from their big men as Jonathan Lahi added five, while senior power forward Xavier Benavidez added three despite carrying four fouls.

“For the last couple of games that third quarter has turned the games around for us,” Eriacho said. “But for some reason, we didn’t come out with any fire in that first half.”

That lull came at the 5:21 mark of the first quarter as the T-Birds were outscored 14-2 for the remainder of the period and trailed 18-9. Things didn’t get any better as Hot Springs opened up a 30-15 cushion late in the second quarter.

The T-Birds did get a lift just as time expired with senior point guard Marlon Lowsayate canning a three-point attempt from midcourt and trailed 32-21 at the break.

“We couldn’t figure things out,” Eriacho said. “I don’t know if it was intimidation or just being tired, but there is no reason for us to be physically and mentally intimidated by Hot Springs. They got a little size on us, but we are just as big as them. They just outworked us in that first half.”

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