Demons, healed Lovato host Sandia on Saturday
Mar. 5—The bus ride last week was somber for the Santa Fe High Demons.
The 74-60 loss to Los Lunas for the District 5-5A Tournament championship on Feb. 25 was humbling enough, but it was punctuated by the splint on the right arm of Demons senior forward P.J. Lovato. It was necessary after a nasty spill late in the game, and it had his teammates wondering if he had played his last game after four sterling years in the program.
"I think that was on everybody's mind coming back home from that game," Santa Fe High head coach Zack Cole said.
But young bodies have a way of healing almost miraculously, and Lovato was no different. He practiced all week, and he will see the court Saturday night when the eighth-seeded Demons (22-5) take on No. 9 Albuquerque Sandia (17-9) in the opening round of the Class 5A Tournament in Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium. The two teams take to the floor at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to play the winner of the No. 16 Las Cruces Organ Mountain/No. 1 Las Cruces game for the quarterfinals at the home of the higher seed.
Cole said having Lovato on the court is huge for Santa Fe High because he brings energy, athleticism and leadership.
"We were worried about our guy," Cole said. "He's earned this opportunity to go out on his own terms in terms of leaving it all out on the court."
Lovato's presence will be crucial going up against a team that has won 13 of its last 16 games after a 4-6 start. That slow start coincided with the absence of 6-foot-6 senior forward Sean Johnson due to injury. In his 10 games back, Johnson leads the team with a 17.1 points-per-game average to along with six rebounds.
The Matadors' size, length and ability to play a variety of styles offers Santa Fe High a tall task.
"They beat you up on the backboard, they get offensive rebounds and get second-chance points," Cole said. "They can press you, they can sit in a zone. They can play fast, they can play slow. Talentwise, they're very impressive."
The key for the Demons, Cole said, is to continue doing what they do best — which is to play with high energy and use their quickness to their advantage.
"We can't let them get to their comfortable plays, offensively," Cole said.
"We got to contest all shots, because all of their guards can shoot. Big Sean will step out and shoot 3s. It's really about contesting everything, with the philosophy of nothing easy."
