Karen Boehler
CCSR writer/editor
A.J. Peralta finally took control of the game in the third quarter. Here, he leaps high above the rim for two of his many points over Lobo Victor Medina (40).
(CCSR photo by David R. Rocha)
Senior Coyote Keydrick Allen was ready for Saturday’s game vs. Chaparral. It was the opening round of the AAAA state tournament, and his last chance to play in the Coyote Den.
“I was just pumped up. This is my last game here playing. I just had to go all out. Full throttle.
Everything,” he said.
And he showed he was ready by scoring the team’s first eight points, an 8-2 run broken only by a field goal by Lobo Victor Medina.
“He was making it happen. He was scoring and rebounding,” said coach Britt Cooper.
But the physical game saw fouls being called almost as fast as the players flew across the court, and by early in the second quarter, Allen already had three fouls and was forced to sit.
That didn’t make him happy.
“I was devastated,” he said. “I wanted to stay in the game and play every minute and help my team go on. They kind of went down a little bit. I wish I was in there to cheer them up and fire them up.”
Roswell did come out somewhat slow in the first half, leading only 12-8 after one and 24-18 at the half.
A.J. Peralta only scored two points in the first half — from the free-throw line — and Marek Olesinski only scored one — a 3-pointer.
“We didn’t play a very good first half,” Cooper said. “Sometimes that happens in the first round of a playoff game. Shouldn’t have been any nerves or anything like that. Just kind of played along. We gave them only 12 points a quarter. Hopefully that one’s out of our way and we can get ready for the show.”
Peralta , who led the scoring with 18 points, said he wasn’t sure what happened in the first quarter.
“I don’t know. I can’t really say what really happened. I guess we were just still kind of a little rusty,” he said.
“I guess we were just a little rusty from a week off,” Olesinski agreed.
Keydrick Allen (3) gently lays the ball against the plexiglass for two points; out of reach of Lobo Joey Maloney (42).
(CCSR photo by David R. Rocha)
Whatever the reason, the rust was gone in the second half as the Coyotes caught fire.
Especially Peralta and Olesinski.
They combined for 23 of Roswell’s 27 points in the stanza and after that, the outcome was never in doubt.
The Coyotes led 51-26 at the half and closed out the game under a running clock, pummeling the Lobos 70-37.
By the time the mercy-rule kicked in, with a little less than four minutes remaining, Cooper put his bench on the floor, and earlier in the quarter Allen got back in, adding the final four points of his 14-point total.
Olesinski rounded out the Coyote double-figure scoring with 15. Medina and Manny Marquez, who hit two treys, were the only Lobos in double figures with 10 each.
This will be some of the Coyotes’ third straight trip to state — they won the title last year — and they say they’re ready to repeat.
“We feel pretty good. We’re just ready to go for that state championship,” Allen said.
“Hopefully we’ll take it,” Olesinski said.
But Cooper said his team has to come out stronger in Albuquerque.
“It was a good effort the second half. We looked like we should have looked. But we’ve got to come out and be sharper than that,” he said. “We’ve got to just take care of ourselves and we’ll be fine.”
Roswell, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, will face No. 9 St. Pius Wednesday at 3 p.m. at The Pit. (The Sartans downed Kirtland Central 65-38 Saturday.)
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