Falcons bury Moose from beyond the arc

Martin Garcia (30) of Centauri lets off a long distance shot before Alamosa's Sam Clark (5) can contest it. Garcia was on fire from the outside hitting four 3-pointers to lead the Falcons in scoring with 18 points. (Courier photo by Stephen Jiron)

LA JARA — The best district record in the Intermountain League goes to Bayfield who sits at a perfect 4-0. The meeting between Centauri (10-3) and Alamosa (8-6) on Friday gave a little insight into where the Falcons and Moose might fit in the IML with defending champion Bayfield seemingly on a late season tear. 

The tenth ranked Falcons got the best of sixteenth placed Alamosa by a score of 66-52.

With back-to-back losses to Montezuma-Cortez and Pagosa Springs and with Bayfield still on the slate, Centauri was no doubt looking at the game against Alamosa as a must-win. 

The Moose are halfway through a double-dose of Bayfield having dropped their first meeting with the Wolverines on Monday.

Centauri didn’t take long to heat up on Friday night. According to preliminary stats the Falcons shot 66 percent as a team from the three point line in the first quarter, Owen Richardson and Martin Garcia each getting one while Trey Crowther collected two. Garcia led the Falcons in scoring with 18 points, twelve of which came from three-pointers.

After one quarter it was Centauri ahead by a score of 17-8.  In the second quarter the Falcons kept building on their lead. Three minutes in Alamosa found themselves in a 13-point hole, and to compound the issue they would also lose junior Sam Clark to a leg injury.

Both teams would get their shots in as the game progressed to the half, first Alamosa with a 6-point run. The Falcons slowly paced the Moose to a 32-20 score at the break.

Unfortunately for Alamosa trailing by 12 points wasn’t enough impetus for Alamosa to hit back. Centauri would slam their foot on the gas once again posting gaudy percentages from the perimeter. Martin Garcia would go 3-of-4 on his long distance shots in the third quarter. Garcia’s shots from downtown spearheaded a 23-point quarter for the Falcons.

A little inactivity from Alamosa and it appeared the rout was on, Centauri leading 52-29. With a 20 point plus advantage late, both coaches had seen enough and the reserves took the court.

Alamosa’s bench was in no mood to gain experience and chose instead to compete. Sophomores Isaiah Harrell and Austin Blankenship collected 8 and 7 points respectively all in the fourth quarter placing them second and third on the team in scoring. All the hustle shown by the Moose bench showed on the scoreboard, garnering enough respect for the Falcon starters to retake the court for the remainder of the game to ensure the win. Brenden Crowther paced the Moose in scoring with 15 points.

Bayfield will face both teams over the course of the coming week.  Alamosa will get their rematch with Bayfield Saturday afternoon. Centauri’s schedule shows a Monday meeting with the Wolverines.