BAYFIELD—Overtime was prime time for Alamosa’s boys out in the Pine River Valley.

“I feel like we were more calm than anything,” said senior guard Dylan Mendoza.  “We were just ready to get it going; we were ready to close it out, go back home.”

And return to campus as conquerors, with 3A Intermountain victories at both Centauri and Bayfield sustaining any hopes of qualifying for the COVID-condensed (24-team) 2021 CHSAA Class 3A State Basketball Tournament.

Entering BHS Gymnasium Saturday afternoon, Feb. 27, fresh off a 40-39 upset in La Jara of No. 5-ranked CHS, the Mean Moose managed to erase a large first-quarter deficit, then ride a see-saw second half into overtime—tied 43-43 with the Wolverines after sophomore Kade Jones’ spot-on shovel-pass from along the baseline to junior Damian Orozco less than five feet from the hoop produced two equalizing points just before the fourth quarter expired.

“Right there at the end of regulation, the drive and then the kick to Orozco…. If we don’t secure a rebound and initially get the ball up the floor and attack, we don’t even get that look,” head coach Myles Baker said.  “It was a total team effort.”

Orozco would foul out 45 seconds into the bonus 4-minute period, but even after Bayfield senior post Hunter Bayles took advantage of Orozco’s absence, plowing through the paint for a putback of his own missed shot and putting the home team up 47-46, Alamosa wouldn’t wilt.  Jones sank two go-ahead free throws with 0:37.9 left, resulting from an Isaac Ross hack, and senior Kane Absmeier followed with a clinching 1-and-1 with only 0:11.9 remaining, resulting from a Bayles non-shooting foul.

The Wolverines were unable to re-tie, as AHS pulled out a 50-47 win.

“They’ve been at our heads all year…came out hot, which they always do,” Mendoza said.  “Bayfield’s one of the best-shooting teams—in the entire state, I believe—and came out firing.  But we answered back.”

BHS senior Crosby Edwards, whose 10 first-quarter points helped his side build up a 14-10 lead through eight minutes, would total five three-pointers and a game-high 21 points in defeat, while high-flying junior Landon Kennedy logged 10.

“We’ve just got to learn…when we go on a run, not let them come back on their own run,” said Bayles.  “That’s kind of what’s killed us; we’ll go on a run—or cut (a deficit) down and get close—then we let off a little bit.”

Helped by a momentum-boosting trey ending the second quarter, putting the Moose up 24-20, Mendoza would finish with a team-leading 16 points (an Edwards-like 10 coming during AHS’ second-quarter comeback).  Eight of Orozco’s 10 came after intermission, and Absmeier also reached double digits with his 10.  Having entered the contest as a substitute, Jones booked his seven points all during the fourth quarter and OT.

“We have guys like Mendoza, who got us going early—got us out of the hole we kind of dug ourselves—and then in the third and fourth quarter Orozco played well,” Baker said.  “But we’ve got to give credit to the other guys too; we’re not a one-man show.  It was a good win for us.”

“If you had energy and were ready to play, (Coach) was going to call your number,” said Mendoza, who bulls-eyed four threes.  “I think we were all willing to play our parts.”

Behind 31-30 after three quarters, Bayfield made their bid for a win in the fourth, with Edwards burying a corner three for a 39-38 lead with 1:38 remaining.  But the Moose (8-4, 5-2 IML) answered, with sophomore Jayr Almeida taking an Orozco feed and converting a clutch reverse layup.  BHS (4-6, 2-5) regained a brief 41-40 lead when senior Kacey Chandler drove in a basket after teammate Quintan Hunter intercepted an inbounds pass meant for Orozco—who, undaunted, then re-tied the score at 41 with a free throw and only 32.6 ticks to go.

“I told (my players) not to hang their heads; I thought we played really well,” said BHS head coach Klint Chandler.  “It just comes down to a couple possessions—that was a heck of a game.”

“We’d played them pretty even over there and it was the same—they made some shots down the stretch and we didn’t,” he continued.  “We’re just coming up short.”

“Obviously disappointed that we lost,” Bayles (4 points, 3 fouls) said.  “There was some things that I could have done better, and we as a team, but I feel o.k.  We’ve got to limit our mistakes…but also…learn from the mistakes.”

Regular-season work wraps up next for Alamosa, with Montezuma-Cortez in town Saturday, March 6.

“Everybody, every coach, will tell you there’s things we want to sharpen up,” said Baker, “but we’re going to go back to work, hopefully keep getting better.”

“Energy—especially last night’s—has just kind of carried over,” Mendoza said.  “It’s do-or-die for us…every game.”