PICTURED: The Bulldog basketball team celebrates its state semifinal win over Espanola Valley Thursday at The Pit in Albuquerque.
It's an inspiring thing to watch a team take its destiny in its own hands. And those who saw the second half of Thursday's Class 4A State Semifinal between No. 2 Artesia and No. 3 Espanola Valley witnessed just that.
The first half was a rough one. Tripped up by turnovers and banged up by a host of unwhistled fouls, the Bulldogs led by just four at the break, 25-21. Espanola's always-massive support system was deafening, the Sundevils had gotten 17 of their points off those TOs, and many at The Pit were strapping in for a barn burner of a second half.
But the Runnin' 'Dogs weren't about to let anyone stand in the way of their chance to compete for a title.
With 47 points and an 89% showing from the field in the second half, the boys in orange put a bark on their semifinal showdown, topping Espanola 72-51 to advance to Saturday's 4A championship. There, they'll take on the eighth-ranked Highland Hornets, who were busy upsetting No. 4 Albuquerque Academy 66-37 in the other half of the bracket.
An opening three-pointer to start the third by Braylon Vega was answered by EV's Emilio Samaniego, and the two teams would continue the back-and-forth battle through the bulk of the quarter. Jumpers from Vega, Charlie Campbell and Corbyn Dominguez were countered by a Josiah Fresquez trey and a Nathaniel Suazo offensive putback, and Fresquez followed a Clay Kincaid layup with one of his own to keep the Sundevils within five, 36-31. But from there, the Bulldogs began to turn on the afterburners.
Vega followed a basket in the paint by Trent Egeland with a breakaway layup off the steal, and Egeland would sandwich a Jack Byers offensive putback with another bucket off the glance and two from the free-throw line following a hard drive to the hoop. A pair from the stripe by Vega on another steal-sparked layup attempt and 1-2 from Campbell saw the Bulldogs head into the final eight minutes with a 12-point lead in hand, 49-37.
With the score at 51-41 with six minutes to go in the game, the 'Dogs went on a 7-0 tear that included a pair of baskets from Cael Houghtaling and two more free throws by Campbell. That propelled Artesia's lead to 17, 58-41, and left the Sundevils shell shocked. Espanola would glean a few more points from Bulldog turnovers, but a pair from the line by Vega, consecutive jumpers from Campbell, and a big slam dunk by Kincaid made it 67-47 and effectively sealed the deal. Campbell chased another basket from Houghtaling with a quick steal and layup on EV's end of the court to help round out the 21-point final, 72-51.
The 'Dogs competed well in the first half but were never able to build a gap. Despite holding the Sundevils to seven points in the opening quarter, Artesia would post just 14 of their own -- six of those coming off of Kincaid's decided height advantage in the paint -- and despite a pair of treys from Campbell in the second, Espanola Valley would outscore the Bulldogs 14-11 in the second to cut Artesia's lead to four.
Campbell led all scorers on the ballgame with 21 points, followed by Vega with 13 and Egeland and Kincaid with 12 each. Fresquez finished with 19 for EV.
Artesia will be making its first title game appearance since 2021 at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at The Pit in Albuquerque. The Runnin' 'Dogs will be seeking the program's third state championship and first since 1997. To purchase tickets, visit the UNM ticketing site.
STAT BOX
#2 Artesia 72
#3 Espanola Valley 51
Artesia (20-9): Charlie Campbell 7-9, 5-8 21; Braylon Vega 4-6, 4-4 13; Trent Egeland 5-9, 2-2 12; Clay Kincaid 5-7, 2-5 12; Cael Houghtaling 4-5, 0-0 8; Jack Byers 2-3, 0-0 4; Corbyn Dominguez 1-1, 0-0 2
Totals: 28-41, 13-19 72
Espanola Valley (24-7): Josiah Fresquez 6-19, 5-6 19; Matthew Lovato 3-7, 0-0 6; Uriel Quintana 2-2, 0-0 6; Nathaniel Suazo 3-5, 0-0 6; Jerek Duda 2-15, 0-0 4; Miguel Orozco 2-3, 0-0 4; Isaiah Dominguez 1-2, 0-0 3; Emilio Samaniego 1-8, 0-0 3
Totals: 20-63, 5-6 51
Field Goals: Artesia 28-41 (68%); Espanola Valley 20-63 (32%)
Three-Pointers: Artesia 3 (Campbell 2, Vega 1); Espanola Valley 6 (Fresquez 2, Quintana 2, Dominguez 1, Samaniego 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 13-19 (68%); Espanola Valley 5-6 (83%)
Turnovers: Artesia 20; Espanola Valley 9
Fouls: Artesia 11; Espanola Valley 18
Fouled Out: Artesia 0; Espanola Valley 1 (Orozco, 2:59-4Q)