It was Senior Night at Patagonia High School gym, but junior Diego Carranza stole the show.
Carranza scored 14 of his 20 points in the second quarter as Patagonia broke open a tight game and rolled to a 47-33 victory over Superior on Jan. 26.
The victory improved the Lobos’ record to 12-14 overall and 9-7 in games that are factored into the state rankings, with one game remaining against ASDB. It was their fourth win in their past five games and gives them a nice jolt of momentum heading into the super-regionals at St. David on Feb. 1-3.
“It means a lot for us,” coach Nate Porter said of qualifying for the super-regionals. “That was our team goal for the year, and it didn’t look good at the beginning of the season. It means a lot for us to grow as the season went on and develop an identity. We’re excited about that. It means more basketball.”
The Lobos’ “identity” is one of using their depth to apply constant pressure on opponents, particularly on the defensive end, in hopes of wearing them down. It was again a winning formula against Superior. The game was tied at 8 after the first quarter, but with Carranza providing the spark, the Lobos built a 24-13 lead in the second quarter and stretched it to 41-22 after the third.
“Diego was really good about taking the ball to the basket, which is what we wanted to do, not settle for shots,” Porter said. “Diego took it to heart and was exceptional at it.”
DJ Castro added seven points in the victory, and Gavin Arbizo scored six.
“We were struggling to score 30 points early in the season, and we figured it out a little bit,” Porter said. “We still struggle offensively, but we were able to identify as a defensive team that brought heavy intensity and rotated a lot of guys. We found something that worked for us.”
The rotation includes four seniors who were honored after the game: Arturo Magallanes, Leo Nunez, Isaiah Ruiz and Andres Hoyos.
“I love these kids,” Porter said. “These four seniors—two of them I’ve known since middle school, and the other two joined over the years, and they’re great kids. That makes it easier to coach. And they’re willing to listen. When the older kids listen, everybody else follows.
“I’m going to miss them. These small schools, you grow attached to the kids.”