Warriors on a roll from the stripe

Senior Duda Jackson was money at the line for the Warriors.
Greg Byrd | El Defensor Chieftain

The Warriors varsity basketball team started off the week before Christmas on a roll, defeating the visiting Tohatchi Cougars easily 67-29 on December 14.

“I feel good about this win,” Socorro head coach J.J. Griego said. “This game was a great early season warmup for us. It’s a long season and we are just getting started as far as working hard in practice is concerned.”

First blood was drawn with Tohatchi scoring on a jumper. Warriors junior Julius Lucero responded on the next possession with a long fade-away two point swish.

At that point, senior Adadrian Jackson got into a flow, starting with a statement Damien Lillard-esque three. “Duda” was also going hard on the defensive end, telling the Cougars players to go home with multiple blocks on the boards.

Tohatchi did not give up early and had Socorro pressed with a three point 15-12 first quarter stat sheet on the scoreboard. From there, the bottom of the net was hard to find for the Cougars.

A brief shake up occurred for freshman Gabriel Giron as he fell hard on the floor. It appeared to be an ankle injury, but he was able to walk off to the bench. This injury was a part of the spark that got Socorro going.

Inside and out, juniors Warren Chewiwi and Marcus Armijo were tearing up the Tohatchi defense as the Socorro starters were scoring at will. Sophomore Josh Gutierres sealed the deal with a fast break layup as the Warriors bench was celebrating.

“It started with the defense and the pressure,” Chewiwi said. “I tried to play great defense tonight and get down the floor as fast as I could to help support our group. Wins like these make you want to push harder in practice as well as gives us confidence in games.”

Armijo was also celebrating with his teammates after the game.

“This feels really good tonight,” he said. “We’ve been playing together since a young age. We’re just trying to build on positivity and work together as teammates every day. Seeing us play as a team is great to be a part of.”

Toward the end of the game, coach Griego was emphasizing no fouls so that the Warriors could close out the game. He was excited and also critical from what he saw from the group.

“Our shot selection wasn’t great,” Griego added. “We kept settling for bad threes which helped the other team stick around. You can’t just come out and jack up threes and expect to make ‘em. Fortunately, our transition points and pushing the ball down the court was there.”

The Warriors were able to defeat Robinson by twelve 74-62, putting them at 4-1. Their final game of 2021 is on December 23 in a 3 p.m. afternoon game at home against St. Michael’s.