Robertson upended by foul trouble in loss to St. Michael's
· Yahoo Sports
ALBUQUERQUE — The battle was over, and the St. Michael's Horsemen had won, but the war is never quite over for the Robertson Cardinals of Las Vegas, N.M.
For a moment, Nathan Gonzales swore he saw something no Horsemen would dare admit Saturday afternoon as St. Michael's claimed the Class 3A title with a 70-57 win in The Pit.
Visit arroznegro.club for more information.
As the Cardinals (20-13) hung around despite foul trouble for three starters, including the 6-foot-6 Gonzales and even tied the score at 40-all late in the third quarter, Gonzales said their eyes told him something.
"I could really see it on their face, like ... St. Mike's looked scared," Gonzales said. They really did. And we were fired up."
That part was true. The bench was rocking and rolling with every positive Robertson play as it rallied from deficits of 18-8, 24-13 and 30-20 to pull even when guard Michael Marr, another of the foul-plagued Cardinals, drained a 3-ball with 1:31 left in the third to tie the score.
The game plan to pack the paint and funnel any St. Michael's attack toward the long arms of Gonzales' law was working for Robertson. After a sluggish start that saw the Horsemen hit nine of their first 16 shots for a 22-13 lead after a quarter, they suddenly went ice-cold — 5-for-29 cold.
That stretch allowed the Cardinals to navigate the foul troubles of Marr (three in the first half) and fellow guard Brian Rubin (four) and stay within shouting distance at 30-21 at the half.
Marr said the foul trouble affected his game, as he couldn't be as aggressive.
"I was like, I can't foul any more," Marr said. "I can't play as hard on defense on Kamal [Stith], because that's how I guard him. And he had some easy ones because I dind't want to go and pick up my fourth and fifth [foul]."
Robertson scored the first four points of the third quarter to pull within 30-25, then chipped away for the rest of the quarter. Even though St. Michael's managed 23 offensive rebounds through the first three quarters, it only had 18 second-chance points.
Robertson head coach Adam Bustos said early game jitters combined with some over aggression put Marr and Rubin in foul trouble and stymied the pack-the-paint strategy.
But the fact the Horsemen only made three of 20 shots in the second quarter kept the Cardinals in the game.
"We wanted to pack it in, but we're also a very aggressive team that wants to get out [and attack]," Bustos said. "Our nature just is what pushes us out to the ball. We probably could have packed it in a little better."
The second half saw Rubin and Marr navigate their foul trouble for the most part, but Gonzales ended up being victimized by the relentless Horsemen attack on the rim. He picked up two fouls within a minute of each other in the third, then a fourth a minute after that.
Gonzales sat for the last 1:13 of the third. St. Michael's, freed from the shackles of his presence, went on an 8-2 spurt to build a 48-42 lead entering the fourth.
"He's a presence," St. Michael's head coach Dakota Montoya said. "He's real athletic. He's a great shot blocker, tremendous timing."
Gonzales returned to start the fourth and Robertson was within 56-52 on Gonzales' last bucket of the season with 4:20 left. He fouled out 50 seconds later going for a rebound.
St. Michael's (26-5) smelled blood and got to the rim unabated for the rest of the game, hitting four of six shots during a crucial 9-2 run that sealed the win. Even though Gonzales said he smelled fear, the Horsemen countered by saying they remained confident even through the shooting slump.
"Confident," Montoya said. "We've been here before, especially when we were here [Friday, a 62-55 win over Santa Fe Indian School]. I mean, it is what it is. You expect that in big-time, high-level basketball games."
This marked the fourth time in the past five seasons the two programs played for the blue trophy. While St. Michael's loses eight seniors, the Cardinals return all but senior Brennen Deisler. However, the Horsemen have Mathan McCoy, Ryan Hunt and Noah Redus returning, indicating they will still be a reckoning force in 3A.
But, so will the Cardinals.
How about a rematch?
"We'll see them again next year," Marr said matter-of-factly.
The war is never over, even after the dust has settled.