By Nathaniel A. Lopez
On Feb. 8, the Hayden boys basketball team traveled to Tucson to compete against Desert Christian in the first round of the 1A State Play-Ins. Desert Christian’s small gym was completely filled. Half were Desert Christian fans, and the other half were dedicated Lobo supporters, proudly wearing their blue and white.
The game started off with the Lobos scoring first, while playing a strong defense and quick offense. Both teams went back and forth for control of the scoreboard, but the Lobos ended the first quarter ahead by one, with a 15-14 score. The second quarter once again saw the Lobos score first. The game continued to be neck and neck. The boys played with intensity, and worked their rebound game. The second quarter closed out with a score of 31-32.
During the third quarter, the Lobos began falling victim to Desert Christian’s passing game. The point difference began to grow, but the Lobos were able to close it by the end of the quarter. The third quarter ended with a 43-44 score. The boys again had a tough time keeping that close score during the beginning of the fourth quarter. Down by 43-49, the Lobos turned up the heat and were able to close the 6-point difference. With only 50 seconds remaining the score was 53-55, during the last 20 seconds of the fourth quarter, the Lobos tied it up 55-55, sending the game into overtime.
The entire crowd was on the edge of their seats as the overtime quarter began. The Lobos put points on the board first, but Desert Christian quickly tied it back up. The boys brought it to 61-60, then Desert Christian tied it back to 61-61. For a second it seemed like the game was about to go into double-overtime, but a call from the referee saw Desert Christian get two penalty shots for a foul with only 1.9 seconds left on the clock. Desert Christian scored one of the shots, bringing them one point above the Lobos. The 1.9 seconds ran out quickly, as an indifferent crowd made rowdy noise.
The final score of the game was 61-62, bringing a close to the boys 2021-2022 basketball season. The boys closed out the season ranked #8, with an overall season record of 13 wins and 8 losses.
Congratulations on a great season, Lobos!
Hayden’s Fabian Elvira (#2) shoots. Photo by Nathaniel Lopez