It was domination. The starting five Magdalena Steers could not be stopped against county rival Alamo Navajo during Thursday night’s throwdown, keeping the team at just one loss on the season.
Greg Byrd | El Defensor Chieftain photos

 

It was a mismatch for the Alamo Navajo Cougars when they had to face the 1-loss Magdalena Steers in their house. Freshman big man Joseph Zamora scored on the first possession and the route was on as the Steers took down the Cougars 72-15.

“I didn’t see much,” Steers head coach Jory Mirabal said. “They have good kids that play hard no question there. But there’s not much to say. In these kinds of games for our team, you just want to get out of it with nobody getting hurt.”

Junior Kael Stephens going up for an easy bucket. Alamo Navajo had no answer for the tall man on this night.

Prior to the game, the boys were out there rooting for the girls before warm-ups. Senior Joren Mirabal was ready to go.

“I expect us to go out there with the right mindset,” he said. “No matter who we play, it is all about mindset for us. The crowd against Alamo is always wild. This is a great test for us as a team internally.”

The onslaught from Magdalena began early with junior Kael Stephens dominating the paint. Junior D’Shaun Vinyard had a big block, not having gotten started on offense yet. Down seven, sophomore JayAthins Apachito got the Cougars on the board with a distance three pointer.

It was 21-5 after the first quarter. That is when Vinyard decided to show what he was capable of in the second with two monster dunks that erupted the crowd.

“Getting those dunks gives me energy and gives the team energy,” Vinyard said. “Going up and down in practice helps us be able to get those big plays during a game which is what we want to focus on going forward.”

At half time it was 48-7. Coming out of the lockers, the Steers were not taking their foot off the brakes. Stephens hit a quick corner three to start things off. Junior Josh Baca was dishing to the shooters who did not disappoint as they knocked shots down. Zamora was a beast to the end on the boards.

Josh Baca was clean from the line during the game. His scoring was not absent once he hit the stripe.

“My mentality going into the game is I want the ball,” Zamora said. “Under the basket they weren’t pushing me around. I was pushing them around. Our opponents should always expect a fight from us.”

Despite the loss, Alamo Navajo players walked out of the gym with their heads held high. Head coach Lemuel Guerro was encouraged by his groups’ performance.

“The boys played good,” he said. “I noticed they played hard defense. It’s our offense that we need to work on. Right now we’re struggling but we’re getting there. Magdalena is good as a rivalry and we have a lot to work on in order to get to that level.”

Despite the loss, Alamo Navajo still sits in the middle of the pack at 6-9. Their next game is against Evangel Christian Academy at 4 p.m. on Feb. 5. Magdalena remains with just one loss. After a Feb. 3 away game against Hondo Valley they will finish the season at home against Mountainair on Feb. 17.

A District 3 Standings

  1. Magdalena; 19-1.
  2. Alamo Navajo; 6-9.
  3. Carrizozo; 0-14.
Greg Byrd | El Defensor Chieftain Sports Editor