MAGDALENA—Fueled by a 23-3 second-quarter run and a career-high 19 points from sophomore Jeffery Stuteville, top-ranked Magdalena advanced to the championship game of the District 2-1A tournament on Feb. 23 with a 64-31 win over Quemado.

Magdalena’s Jeffery Stuteville had a career-high 19 points while nabbing 13 boards for a double-double against Quemado.

Magdalena, at 27-0, is the No. 1 team in Class A and etched another notch into the history of New Mexico basketball with its 43rd win in a row. The win moves the Steers to No. 4 spot of all time.

D’Shaun Vinyard goes for a slam dunk against Quemado.

The Steers host No. 5. Cliff’s Cowboys (20-5) in a 6 p.m. contest to decide the district tournament winner. Cliff beat Mesilla Valley Christian School 46-33 to advance to the title game.

Setting new records was the last thing on Magdalena coach Jory Mirabal’s mind before the Steers tipped off against the Eagles – if his squad wanted to impress him, they needed to hold their turnovers to 10 or less.

Magdalena’s Krae Stephens battles for possession of the basketball against Quemado.

“We come into the game with different goals, and worrying about what someone else is doing isn’t one of them,” Mirabal said. “Our goal is to cut down on the turnovers. We worry about the things that we can control. Things like the weather or games being moved don’t move our focus, and tonight that focus is on Quemado.”

Magdalena’s Kael Stephens puts up a one-handed shot against Quemado.

High winds on Feb. 22 caused the rescheduling of the Steers’ matchup – and Mirabal had no worries. Against Quemado, the Steers had 10 turnovers in the first half – Mirabal still wasn’t worried, but Magdalena spent 9:30 in the locker room at halftime.

“I have to make better adjustments to how we prepare for a game,” Mirabal said. “I think we just kind of let that one get away from us tonight as far as mental preparation.”

Magdalena’s Joseph Zamora had 9 points against Quemado.

The Steers stampeded past the Eagles 66-17 and 67-11 at the beginning of the month. Early in their third matchup, they committed more than their “allotted” turnovers, including losing the ball due to unpressured traveling calls.

In the first quarter, Mirabal pulled his entire starting unit with more than four minutes to play. Usually, when that happens, his fab five have already established a double-digit lead, but the Steers had just 13 points in the first eight minutes.

One thing that never seems to fail Magdalena is its defensive scheme, and despite their slowed-down offensive production, they still had doubled up on the Eagles’ six points in the first frame.

he Magdalena student section brought their A-Game to cheer on their Steers against Quemado.

Once the Steers hit their stride on the offensive side of the ball, they quickly ended all hope for the Eagles. Seven Steers contributed to the 23-3 run as Lambrent Ganadonegro, Ayden Herschbach D’Shaun Vinyard, Jeff Stuteville, Joseph Zamora, Jaydon Jaramillo and Matthew Parker got things rolling.

Mirabal substituted freely in the second half, resting his starters Vinyard, Josh Baca, Kael Stephens, Stuteville, and Zamora in preparation for tomorrow’s championship game. Players like Kaleb Castanon, Krae Stephens and Clayton Atwood helped spark the Steers’ defense, with Stephens winning several impressive battles for rebounds.

Magdalena’s Matthew Parker is tripped as he drives the paint against Quemado.

“It’s this time of year where you want to get your wins and move on. We did that tonight. Hopefully, we learned our lesson and play better tomorrow night,” Mirabal said.

Scoring—Lambrent Ganadonegro 3, Ayden Herschbach 5, Kael Stephens 4, D’Shaun Vinyard 15, Jeff Stuteville 19, Joseph Zamora 9, Jayden Jaramillo 2, Jacob Markland 2, Matthew Parker 5.

 

 

 

 

Russell Huffman | Assistant Editor