Long-Range Barrage Carries Timberwolves Past Sundevils into Championship Game

SANDIA PARK — In a game where every inch of the paint felt like a battleground, the East Mountain Timberwolves decided to take their business to the perimeter.

Behind a barrage of 11 three-pointers, top-seeded East Mountain outlasted Sandia Prep 51-47 in a scrapy District 5-3A tournament semifinal Thursday night at the Vista Grande Community Center.

The Timberwolves (25-2) relied heavily on their long-range marksmen to overcome a defensive stalemate. East Mountain’s 11 shots from behind the arc outpaced their eight total two-point field goals, providing the necessary cushion to survive a late Sundevils rally.

Vicente J. Ortiz led the charge with a game-high 24 points, fueled by six three-pointers. Caden Fuerstenberg added nine points on three triples, while Aiden Erickson chipped in 14 points, including two from deep.

“This is the kind of game that we need—just what the doctor ordered,” said East Mountain head coach Brad Hofmann. “We were tested. Not everything was clicking, but we had some guys step up. Vicente was getting pinballed around a little bit, but he stuck with it and made a couple of huge threes toward the end of the fourth quarter.”

The contest was a seesaw affair from the opening tip. The teams were deadlocked 11-11 after the first quarter before East Mountain carved out a 23-17 lead at the half. However, the Sundevils (13-14) stormed back in the third, evening the score at 31-31 heading into the final frame.

Sandia Prep, despite dealing with a roster thinned by injuries and recent illness, pushed the Timberwolves to the brink.

“They looked more like the Sandia Prep I’m used to seeing,” Hofmann said. “They are a very well-coached team and they’re going to be tough in the [state] tournament.”

Hofmann credited his team’s defensive discipline for the win, particularly in a third quarter where the Timberwolves’ offense went cold. By “doubling down on fundamentals” and tightening their hand placement and stance, East Mountain held the Sundevils to 47 points, neutralizing their penetration in the closing minutes.

“It wasn’t a big coaching maneuver. It was just like, ‘Guys, we’ve got to guard them,'” Hofmann said. “The kids totally answered the bell.”

The victory vaults East Mountain into a District Championship showdown on Saturday against Bosque School (16-10). The Bobcats are coming off a narrow 54-50 loss to Rehoboth but will provide a significant hurdle for a Timberwolves program looking to make history.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever been in the district tournament championship game on the boys’ side,” Hofmann said. “We can’t play C-plus or B-minus basketball and expect to beat that team. All our fundamentals will be tested.”

East Mountain scoring -Liam Pierce, Hunter Chancellor, Vicente J Ortiz 24, Damion Reyes, Tony Cintron-Warren, Ben Schwebke, Eli Conklin, Quinlan Gwyther 2, Enrique Garcia, Caden Fuerstenberg 9, Brody Fryar 1, Levi Wright, Luke Schwebke, Aiden Erickson 14, Eric Hofmann 2.