By Michael Olguin Jr.
For the Mountain Mail
The Socorro boys basketball team finished the regular season with a 12-13 record, but it finished with six straight wins to end the season, going 6-0 in district play. The Warriors dominated district 3-3A beating each team by an average of 31 points.
“Obviously we ran through the district and the scores showed that,” Socorro coach Lawrence Baca said. “But I told the kids we can’t take any team lightly. Any given night any team can beat us. Any time you go into a game thinking you are going to walk all over the other team you could be in for a good surprise.”
Since Socorro won the regular season district title, they will be the number one seed for the district tournament which began on Monday, Feb. 22. By securing the top seed, the Warriors will have an automatic bye to the championship game which will be held in the Warrior Dome on Saturday night. The boys will follow the Lady Warriors’ championship game held on Saturday as well.
Last Friday night, the Warriors honored their five seniors with a ceremony before their final home game against the Hatch Bears. Kenneth DeCosta, Andrew Contreras, Avery Ngo and Erik Garcia were escorted onto the court by their parents.
For the year, DeCosta averaged 4.6 ppg and 3.8 rebounds per game.
“Kenneth is our sixth man off the bench and he has been a great help to our depth and he does a great job,” said Baca.
Contreras averaged 7.4 ppg and 5.1 rebounds per game. One statistic that stands out is Contreras took 22 charges for his team this season.
“Andrew is our strength inside and he is probably our hardest worker on the team,” said Baca. “He does all the dirty work and he isn’t afraid to guard anyone. If someone needs to be guarded he is the first to guard him.”
Ngo finished the year with .5 ppg and .5 assists per game.
“Avery is a great kid and is someone you love to have around,” Baca said. “The playing time probably isn’t what he is wanting but he is a very team oriented guy and he works his butt off day in and day out. He is a great leader for the team.”
Garcia averaged 10.8 ppg and a team high 4.8 assists per game. Garcia also had a team high 35 points against the Bears earlier this season.
“Erik has had a great year,” Baca said. “He has been a four year letterman and this year he has really shined. I still think he is one of the better point guards in the state. He is very athletics and he has showed that several times throughout the year. He can be hard to stop.”
The Warriors had no trouble handling the Bears. Socorro had a 43-27 lead going into halftime and increased their lead in the second half and went on to win 80-49. Not only did every Warrior player see court time, every Warrior was able to get into the scoring column.
Jared Marquez led the Warriors with 16 points followed by Zach Esquivel with 12 points. Sophomore Ibrahim Maiga had 11 points while going a perfect 5 for 5 from the floor.
“I think what we are hoping for is a seven seed,” Baca said of the upcoming state tournament. “I think we can fall into anywhere from a seven to a 10 seed. It depends on what happens in the district tournament. We will more than likely host the first round state tournament game.”
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