Timberwolves Survive Defensive Grind to Edge Sandia Prep

SANDIA PARK – It wasn’t pretty, and at times it felt a bit like a root canal, but the East Mountain Timberwolves found a way to extract a crucial 36-33 victory over Sandia Prep on Tuesday night.

Coming off a district-opening loss that snapped a remarkable 16-game winning streak, the Timberwolves (16-1, 1-1 District 5-3A) had to rediscover their identity in a physical, defensive slugfest.

“Super proud of our guys,” said East Mountain head coach Brad Hofman. “We did not, obviously, play well, especially on the offensive end of the floor. We didn’t shoot well… but we hung with it, and we kept playing defense, which doesn’t always happen.”

Early Surge, Late Struggle

The Timberwolves looked ready to runaway with the contest early, stifling the Sundevils to just four points in the opening frame while building a 15-4 lead. Eric Hofmann was the catalyst, scoring nine of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter alone.

However, Sandia Prep (8-8, 0-1) refused to go away. Their aggressive defense began to stymie the East Mountain rhythm, holding the Timberwolves to just four points in the third quarter. By the start of the fourth, the lead had evaporated to a slim 27-25 margin.

“They’re a tough-minded team. They don’t go away,” Hofman said of the Sundevils. “They really battled on defense and made it hard for us.”

Stepping Up in the Clutch

With the game hanging in the balance, the Timberwolves leaned on their seniors and some timely shooting. Tony Cintron-Warren provided the play of the night, burying a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer that left Sandia Prep knowing the outside still needed to be guarded.

Underneath the rim, Eli Conklin provided the “strong” play needed to counter Sandia Prep’s physicality, while Vicente J. Ortiz chipped in six points to help keep the offense afloat.

“Tony hit that three, and that was, obviously, huge,” Hofman noted. “Eli was really battling underneath. We got it from a lot of different places, and then our starting group kind of pulled it together.”

Hofmann took over again in the final period, scoring seven of the team’s nine points to close out the victory.

Adjusting to the Whistle

The game was notably physical with players getting away with some shoving under the bucket. Coach Hofman was pleased with how his players stayed focused on the task at hand.

“As a player, you have to be able to see what’s going on in the game and adjust,” Hofman said.

The Timberwolves will look to build on this gritty performance as they continue their trek through a competitive District 5-3A schedule. East Mountain has a date with Coronado on Jan. 27 and return home to face Cottonwood Classical Prep on Jan. 29 for a 6:30 pm tipoff.

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Box Score

East Mountain (36) Eric Hofmann 21, Tony Cintron-Warren 3, Vicente J. Ortiz 6, Aiden Erickson 4, Liam Pierce 2.

By Quarter Sandia Prep: 4 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 33 East Mountain: 15 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 36