Work ethic will bring out best in Steers on their way to state

Opposing game film will be easy to come by for Magdalena boys basketball coach Jory Mirabal as the Steers prepare for the opening round of the New Mexico State Basketball Tournament.

Magdalena has already handled visiting Quemado twice and did so in convincing fashion, thank you very much.

“We know them well,” Mirabal said. “It’s the postseason. Everybody knows it’s win or go home. They have several kids who are seniors who are going to give us everything they have and we have some seniors who are going to give everything they have.”

Magdalena whipped Eagles by 21 in the teams’ first meeting, then doubled down and then some with a 71-17 home win Feb. 15.

But for Mirabal and the Steers, those games are already ancient history.

“It’s more about what we do than what they do,” he said. “That’s how we look at it, even when it’s the state tournament. We’re going to spend this week trying to be the best that we can be when we play on Saturday.”

As a matter of fact, after beating Cliff 56-9 in the District 2-1A tournament finale on Friday night, the Steers were so ready to get back after that they wanted to practice the next day.

“What team wants to practice on Saturday after winning Friday night? But those guys wanted to,” Mirabal said. “They enjoy being around each other and they enjoy game. They’re always trying to improve, get better and ask questions. They’ve been a lot of fun to coach.”

It’s that work ethic that makes them strong, he said.

“This group has been a lot of fun because they’ve improved so much from the beginning of the season to now,” Mirabal said. “They’re not even the same team that started in our tournament in December. I give our boys a lot credit because they came to work.”

The Steers went to work in establishing a new identity for the team. Where the championship Magdalena teams of years past were known for their ability to fly up and down the court, now the Steers take a more measured approach as they rely on a pair of 6-foot, 5-inch bookends.

Senior Joe Zamora plays a guard who can pound inside and deliver from outside. He’s averaging 19.5 points and 7.2 rebounds, while also handing out 2.7 assists.

“He’s been a matchup problem for opponents all season,” Mirabal said. “He can play inside or out. He can do everything we need him to do. He can guard other people’s guards or guard their posts.”

And that frees up senior Jeffrey Stuteville to freely roam the post, helping him to score 12.7 points while grabbing almost nine rebounds.

“He gives us a presence on rebounds,” the coach said. “He’s a lot quicker than people think so he can get out and defend on the perimeter.”

Senior Ayden Herschbach runs the point and has added a scoring element to his game after previously being known as a playmaker. He’s scoring eight points a game with 3.8 assists.

Seniors Jacob Markland and Javen Tafoya are role-playing starters who earn their spots defensively, but contribute just enough offensively to keep opponents honest.

The Eagles like to pressure defensively, but that does not have Mirabal too concerned.

“They’re an aggressive team and they play with a lot of grit,” he said. “They’re fast and athletic and they like to get up a lot of shots. When they’re on, they can give teams problems because you have to try to match their energy. But I don’t think that matters to us. We’re going to do what we’re going to do. We’ll make adjustments based on who play based on what we do so I don’t think it’s an issue.”

For Alamo Navajo, it is making its third straight state tournament appearance.

The youthful Cougars are led by a trio of juniors who combine for almost 44 points a game.

Scotty Guerro, a 6-0 wing, leads the way with 17.1 points, while also handing out two assists.

At 6-1, forward Andy Pino contributes 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds.

And 6-1 post Zephaniah Guerro scores 10.4 a game and grabs an amazing 14.2 rebounds.

Senior point guard Emmet Duffy runs the offense and dishes out 2.6 assists per game.

The Rams are also a young team, with just one senior in Carlos Coca.

Both teams feature prolific scoring, with the Cougars averaging 68.3 points per game while Rams are at 64.6.