Young Pintos Squad Looks to the Long Game After Tough Road Loss to Bernalillo

Russell Huffman
East Mountain News

BERNALILLO — It was a tale of two halves for the Moriarty High School Pintos. After exploding out of the gate with a high-energy performance on the road, the team ultimately couldn’t withstand the defensive pressure down the stretch, falling 53-49 to the Bernalillo High School Spartans.

For head coach Caleb Encinias, the game followed a script that highlighted both the high ceiling and the current growing pains of his roster.

Moriarty dominated early, jumping out to a 12-4 lead after the first quarter and taking a 27-21 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

“We got out to a fast start. We got out to a hot start, the way I expected,” Encinias said. “We forced a lot of turnovers early, and then with that, we got transition buckets.”

However, the dynamic shifted as the game wore on. The Spartans three-quarter court press disrupted the Pintos’ rhythm. Moriarty clung to a slim 31-29 lead ending the third quarter, but the pressure eventually took its toll in the fourth.

“Their three-quarter court press kind of got the best of us,” Encinias admitted. “We were trying to dribble through the press rather than running our press breaker, hitting the soft spots, and it came back to bite us.”

Offensive Standouts

Despite the loss, the Pintos saw strong offensive production from their young core. Devin Ortiz led the way with a team-high 17 points, providing a spark throughout the contest. Dominic Brown was also in double figures with 12 points.

Scott Batie contributed 7 points, followed by Mario Romero with 6. Jayden Carlson (4), Mateo Griego-Manley (2), and Ryan Waldrop (1) rounded out the scoring for Moriarty.

Youth and “The Gas Tank”

The inconsistency down the stretch can be largely attributed to the youth of the Moriarty roster. In a telling statistic for a varsity program, Encinias did not start a single senior in the contest.

“Obviously, I have a young team. I didn’t start one senior today. I think we started three sophomores and two juniors,” he said. “So, we knew going into the season that inexperience would be a little bit of our Achilles heel to start the season. But as time goes on, I think we’ll get better and better.”

The coach noted that while the Pintos started strong on the boards, the turnover battle and second-chance points eventually swung the momentum in favor of Bernalillo as fatigue set in.

“I don’t have to hold these guys accountable. I don’t have to be the motivator. They do that within themselves,” Encinias said. “As far as the hard work, it was there. It’s just the gas tank isn’t quite where we want it to be to play the style that we want to play.”

A Marathon, Not a Sprint

Looking ahead, Encinias is keeping his eyes on the bigger picture. He views the regular season not as a singular block, but as three distinct phases: the non-district season, the district season, and the tournament.

The goal right now is to use these early, non-district games against tough opponents like Bernalillo to iron out mistakes—like the press break issues—before the games that determine playoff seeding begin.

“We want to get as good as we can before district season, and when that starts, obviously, those are the big games,” Encinias explained. “I’m fully aware that it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint. We’re going to take the small victories, and then we’ll learn from our mistakes and just keep on trucking.”

The Pintos will look to bounce back immediately, with film sessions scheduled for Saturday and a return to practice Monday afternoon.