Nate John scored 16 points and troy Etsitty chipped in an important 11 and the Gallup Bengals beat the Bloomfield Bobcats 50-40 Feb. 11 in a District 1-5A boys basketball game at Gallup High School. The game was a tune up for the District 1-5A post season for both teams.
The win was the second straight win for the Bengals. Gallup previously beat cross-town rival Miyamura High (11-13, 2-6) 71-51 on Feb. 9 in an away game.
“It’s always a good win to win in district,” Gallup head coach James Voight said after the game. “It was a good defensive effort. I was proud of the way our team played.”
Senior forward Cyrus John of the Bengals hit 3 out of 4 free throws to seal the win for the Bengals. There were 17 seconds left in regulation when John hit the free throws. John kept the Bengals close and then some in the second quarter with 8 points on a variety of shots from the inside and outside.
The Bengals got an unexpected boost when Damien Sanchez and Adriano Stevenson of the Bobcats fouled out with less than 20 seconds to go in the game. Gallup improved to (10-14, 4-4) in the 2017 basketball season.
The Gallup Bengals dropped the first round of a Feb. 21 boys basketball game to aztec 57-56. The game was a first round district 1-5A playoff contest playted at Gallup High School. The Bengals had a chance at alast chance shot with less than a minute left on the game clock, but a turnover proved futile.
“It was us being in the right place at the right time,” Aztec head coach Matthew Steinfeldt said after the game. “It was a close game throughout the entire game.”
Gallup was up 13 points at one point in the second quarter and looked like they’d run away with a victory. Steinfeldt said the win was particularly special considering the fact that the Tigers haven’t won a 5A game this season.
Cody Smith had a game high 20 points for the Tigers. Senior Nate John and fellow senior Troy Etsitty led Gallup with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Etsitty got off an inside shot with 14 seconds left in the game, but missed.
Etsitty and John have been Gallup’s inside and outside punch this season. Aztec missed the subsequent free throws which set up Gallup’s final attempt as time ran out.
Aztez improved to 6-21, 0-10 on the 2017 basketball season. The Tigers played at red-hotFarmington (23-3, 9-1) Feb. 23.
By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent
