Sprained ankle fails to slow Jaguars standout; Capital throttles Tohatchi 79-44

Dec. 9—Santiago Bencomo was already off to a good night.

It took a sprained ankle to make it a great one for the Capital junior guard.

When Bencomo rolled his left ankle early in the second quarter of the Jaguars' opening-round game against Tohatchi in the Al Armendariz Tournament on Thursday night, he wasn't sure if he'd even return after scoring eight points.

He returned minutes later to continue his offensive explosion, scoring 27 points to lead the Jaguars to a 79-44 win over the Cougars in Edward A. Ortiz Memorial Gymnasium. Capital (3-2) will play Pojoaque Valley, which beat Kirtland Central 65-40, for a spot in the tournament finals at 7 p.m. Friday.

As impressive a performance Bencomo put on against Tohatchi, the more remarkable feat might be if he steps on the court against the Elks.

"I twisted it pretty bad — I heard it pop," Bencomo said. "So, to come in and help my team in big ways, was nice. The adrenaline really helped ease the pain."

If anything, Bencomo put a hurt on the Cougars.

His first shot upon his return was a 3-pointer from the right wing with 4:48 left in the opening half that gave Capital at 26-14 lead.

Two minutes later, he drained another 3 to push the margin to 34-18, then added a pair of breakaway layups in the closing moments as the Jaguars took a 38-20 lead at the half.

Jaguars head coach Ben Gomez said Bencomo's steady, calm demeanor is an invaluable asset on the floor.

"To come back out, stayed ready to go and hit some more shots, that got us going again," Gomez said. "He brings a lot of stability to this team."

It's a needed quality because the Jaguars have shown a tendency to be inconsistent, especially with turnovers. Even though they forced Tohatchi (5-2) into 31 turnovers, they had 20 of their own. Eighteen came through the first three quarters, which allowed the Cougars to hang around much too long for Gomez's liking.

When Talon Long scored on a layup with 54 seconds left in the third quarter, Tohatchi was still within shouting distance at 49-34.

"It's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sometimes," Gomez said. "That's the growing pains we're going through, and the only way to correct it is if we play and then talk about it so we can correct it. The good teams don't make the same mistakes over and over."

Capital finally learned its lesson as it committed just two turnovers in the final quarter and scored 25 points.

In other boys games:

Pojoaque Valley 65, Kirtland Central 40The Elks continued a good week by holding the Broncos to just two points in the opening quarter, then to five in the third as they expanded a 31-21 halftime lead to 45-26.

Pojoaque (5-1) continued to show it is an improved team, especially after beating St. Michael's, 45-44, on Tuesday. Senior guard Derek Sanchez had a team-high 18 points, which showed how balanced the Elks are on offense. Ten players scored, with D.J. Jaramillo adding 16 points on the strength of four 3-pointers.

Satche Hogue led Kirtland Central (3-3) with 13 points. The Broncos play Tohatchi at 12:30 p.m. in a consolation semifinal.

Pecos 57, Grants 55The Panthers (3-0) struggled in the second quarter, scoring just seven points and falling behind 31-27 at the half.

However, last year's Class 2A runners-up kept their composure and outscored the Pirates 16-13 in the fourth quarter to advance to a semifinal matchup against Española Valley at 3:30 p.m.

Jodiah Padilla scored nine of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead Pecos. Noah Victorino scored 23 to lead Grants (1-2), which plays Aztec in an 9:30 a.m. consolation game.

Española Valley 72, Aztec 49The Sundevils finally earned their first win under first-year head coach Joey Trujillo, exploding for 44 second-half points to pad a 30-17 halftime lead.

Jayden Martinez led the way for Española (1-5) with 26 points, and Nathan Chacon added 10.

Nathan Shahan led the Tigers (0-6) with 25 points.

Girls

Pecos 44, Capital 43The Lady Jaguars can't say they had their chances, especially after rallying from a 13-point deficit in the opening quarter.

They crept to within 27-22 at the half and cut the margin to one points several times in the second half. It was as close as Capital got as missed shots and turnovers plagued the comeback.

Natalia Stout had 19 points to lead Pecos (3-0), which plays Navajo Prep in a 5:30 p.m. semifinal, and Linda Sanchez added 12. Amerie Romero scored 12 points to lead the Lady Jaguars, with seven coming in the second quarter.

Capital (1-5) plays Española Valley in an 11 a.m. consolation semifinal.

Navajo Prep 48, Española Valley 33The Lady Eagles jumped to a 27-12 halftime lead and did not allow the Lady Sundevils to hit double figures in a quarter until the fourth. By that point, Navajo Prep (5-1) led 39-21 entering the final 8 minutes.

Shiloj Conn had 11 points to pace the Lady Eagles, while Rhianna Padilla scored 18 for Española (1-5).

Hobbs 63, Santa Fe Indian School 25The Lady Eagles had the upper hand on the Lady Braves almost from the start in a battle of reigning state runner-up teams. Hobbs, the 5A runner-up, held SFIS, the 3A runner-up, to just two first-quarter points and nine at the half for a 37-9 lead.

The Lady Eagles (4-1) were led by Kyndle Cunningham and Jayla David, who both scored 12 points. Madisen Valdez had six points for the Lady Braves (6-1). Hobbs takes on Fairfax (Ariz.) in a 2 p.m. semifinal, while SFIS plays West Las Vegas in an 8 a.m. consolation semifinal.

Fairfax (Ariz.) 54, West Las Vegas 29The Stampede (6-0) needed a half to get their legs under them, but held the Lady Dons to just 13 second-half points to pull away after building a 23-16 halftime advantage.

Antil Snoody scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half for Fairfax. West Las Vegas (3-3) had LilyAnna Martinez led the way with 10 points.