No. 10 Robertson Overcomes Ortiz’s 27 Points to Advance

SANDIA PARK, N.M. — Michael Marr scored 24 points and Nathan Gonzales added 22 as No. 10 Robertson overcame a blistering start by Vicente Ortiz to upset No. 7 East Mountain 64-60 in the opening round of the New Mexico Class 3A boys state basketball tournament on Saturday.

The Cardinals (18-12) weathered a career-defining performance from Ortiz, who finished with a game-high 27 points. Ortiz ignited the home crowd early, burying five three-pointers in the first quarter alone to rack up 18 points and propel East Mountain (25-4) to a 23-11 lead.

“If I step back from my coaching role, that’s just a good state tournament basketball game,” East Mountain head coach Brad Hofmann said. “A lot of big shots, kids from both teams making big threes and tough takes to the basket. I couldn’t ask for much more.”

Despite the early deficit, Robertson chipped away at the lead, trailing 28-25 at halftime. The Cardinals finally surged ahead 31-30 with 5:25 remaining in the third quarter—their first lead of the night.

The final 12 minutes evolved into a high-stakes see-saw battle. East Mountain responded to the Robertson run with a 9-3 spurt to retake a five-point lead, but the Cardinals tied the game at 46-46 on the opening bucket of the fourth quarter.

The Timberwolves made one final push when Eric Hofmann, who finished with 16 points, drilled a three-pointer to put East Mountain up 51-46. However, Robertson’s dual threat of Marr and Gonzales proved too much down the stretch. A 54-52 Robertson lead with 4:07 remaining proved to be the final turning point, as the Cardinals held on to secure the road victory.

The loss marked a bittersweet end for an East Mountain program that has undergone a massive transformation under Hofmann. Four years ago, the Timberwolves were the lowest-ranked team in Class 3A.

“Four years ago, we were the last ranked team… tonight, we showed we belong on the court with a very good 3A team in Robertson,” Hofmann said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our seniors (Damion Reyes, Ben Schwebke, Quinlan Gwyther and Aiden Erickson). They were coming to open gyms and summer tournaments when we were struggling and not getting results, and they stuck with it.”

Liam Pierce and Aiden Erickson each added six points for the Timberwolves in the effort.

Robertson advances to the state quarterfinals, while East Mountain concludes a historic season that saw them reach the 25-win mark.

“We showed we’re a capable, competent team,” Hofmann said. “In a game like that, it’s just one or two plays here and there. You tip your hat.”

The loss closes out the best-ever season for the Timberwolves and East Mountain is 44-13 over the past two years. Their 6-2 district mark is also a school record.