After trailing in the first two quarters, Belen boys’ basketball outlasted the visiting St. Pius squad with a 64-53 double-overtime win on Wednesday night.
“We knew this was a win or go home type of game,” said Belen head coach Andrew Dunnell. “They came out and performed.”
The Eagles’ (11-14, 3-4) never trailed the Sartans by much. In the first quarter, they were down 8-10. Belen went into halftime behind 17-19. However, seniors Jacob Garcia and Alexes Aguilar combined for 13 points in the third, putting the Eagles up 30-26 going into the fourth.
Had it not been for a stellar scoring performance from St. Pius senior Zachary Kolkmeyer and a buzzer beater from sophomore Nick Pascuzzi, Belen would have sealed the game at the end of regulation. Instead, the game went into OT tied at 43.
In the first overtime, things appeared to swing the way of the Sartans. St. Pius held a 53-50 until the final seconds. However, with five seconds on the clock, Aguilar hit a three-pointer to send the game to a second overtime.
The second overtime was the Eagles’ strongest. They outscored St. Pius 11-0, winning their final game and 2019’s senior night matchup.
“It comes down to having seniors and not letting the moment get to big,” said Belen head coach Andrew Dunnell. “I felt like the moment never got to big for us. I feel like we’re in it every game.”
“It comes down to having seniors and not letting the moment get to big,” said Dunnell. “I felt like the moment never got to big for us. I feel like we’re in it every game.”
Kolkmeyer led all scorers with 31 points.
The Eagles boasted three players in double figures. Aguilar finished the game leading all Belen scorers with 21 points. Senior Mateo Tapia dropped 14, and Garcia put up 10 points.
Meanwhile at Los Lunas, the Tigers (22-3, 7-0) maintained their top spot in 5A basketball with a 60-39 win over Grants.
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September 28, 2023
