By Michael Olguin Jr.
For the Mountain Mail
SOCORRO - March Madness has arrived for New Mexico high school basketball. For the Socorro boys basketball team (13-13), its quest to the “Pit” in Albuquerque will begin against the Bloomfield Bobcats at 7 p.m. Saturday March 6 in the Warrior Dome.
The Warriors secured the ninth seed and Bloomfield was seeded eighth. Even though the Warriors are the higher seed, they were regular season district champions and got the nod to play at home. Bloomfield finished second in its district behind Tohatchi.
“I kind of knew we were going to get a seven to a 10 seed,” said 3-3A coach of the year Lawrence Baca. “I think we are better than a nine seed but we will take it. We will have to do what we have to do.”
The Warriors took care of the Hot Springs Tigers on Saturday night in the Warrior Dome, 65-41, to secure the district tournament title. It was the Warriors’ third tournament title in the last four years. It was also the Warriors seventh straight win.
“I think we are playing good basketball at the right time compared to early on in the season,” Baca said. “I don’t want to say we have peeked yet but we are definitely playing a lot better basketball.”
Senior Erik Garcia got the Warriors off to a quick start scoring the first six of eight Socorro points. Before the Tigers knew it, the Warriors had jumped to a 15-1 lead. By the end of the first quarter, the Warriors led 24-3.
Garcia led the Warriors with 19 points. Jared Marquez added 13 followed by Andrew Contreras with 11.
“It is going to take a whole team effort from here on out,” Baca said. “We can’t count on one guy in the tournament. We are going to need everyone to step up. We have had several guys step up and get into the scoring column and we need that to happen in the tournament.”
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