RIO RANCHO — For 29 minutes Wednesday night, the Pecos Panthers were a little better than the Santa Rosa Lions. But a high school basketball game lasts 32 minutes and a 10-3 run in those closing minutes decided the game.

Santa Rosa defeated the Panthers 61-58 in the Santa Ana Star Center in a quarterfinal of the Class AA Boys State Basketball Tournament.

The Lions move on to play Mesa Vista in the a semifinal while Pecos heads home, wondering what might have been.

"We had the game with 2 minutes to go," said Pecos guard Tim Baca. "They were just too big for us, too physical."

The Panthers finish their season with a 17-10 record, while Santa Rosa, the No. 2 seed, is 27-4.

The two teams met during the regular season, with the Lions winning 62-56.

"I knew they were quick and had good shooters," said Santa Rosa head coach Frank Ortiz. "We knew they could handle the ball well."

The game had an ebb and flow, but at the end of the first quarter the score was tied at 14-all.

Late in the second quarter, the Lions went on a 6-0 run and held a 30-22 lead at halftime.

The Panthers had the score tied at 34-all midway through the third period.

At the start of the last quarter, Pecos had a 44-43 advantage.

The Panthers were ahead 51-46 with 4:46 on the clock. The score was tied at 55 with 1:46 to go and Lions hit a field goal and four straight foul shots down the stretch for the final margin.

With a balanced offense, Robert Serrano and Joaquin Bachicha led Santa Rosa with 13 points each.

Jeff Reeves finished with 12 points. Serrano added 10 rebounds.

Baca's 18 points led the Panthers, though he shot only 7-for-23 from the floor.

Del Gonzales scored 11.

Joseph Gonzales, who normally plays a big role in Pecos' offense, was scoreless in the first half and finished with six points.

"He had no idea what a game like this is like," Baca explained.

"I think the big-game jitters got to him," Pecos jead coach Clyde Sanchez observed.

While the Panthers lost, Sanchez wasn't down on his team.

"We never stopped attacking. Our kids never gave up. They still played hard to the end.

"This is a team that got no respect all season. I think they had us ranked No. 8 once. But we've built a real team. We've got a good base for next year."

Pecos did not make the state playoffs last year.

Once missing ingredient will be Baca. He was the go-to man for the Panthers.

"I like to take over. That's just who I am," he said.