One group was there to learn.

The other was there to refine.

The gap between Monte del Sol's and Mesa Vista's boys basketball teams was wide, as the Trojan's 87-41 season-opening win in Fort Marcy Complex will attest. But the teams had different goals in mind.

For the Dragons, it was a chance to study and put knowledge to good use in the future, especially in offensive execution. Mesa Vista looked ready to score on every pass and every glance around the court, and it led to a 21-0 start and a 57-18 halftime lead.

Jaime Cruz Jr. led the Trojans with 23 points, Frankie Giron scored 22 and Adrian Coronado added 10.

"We came out and did pretty well putting up 87 points," Mesa Vista head coach Thomas Vigil said. "We were getting pretty easy steals and layups."

Monte del Sol (0-3) simply ran its offense as if on auto-pilot. Only senior Keith Hyde reached double figures, with 22 points, while Enrique Koerdell had 15 rebounds.

"(The Trojans) run a nice wheel offense, and they see it not as a routine, but as a potential to score on every pass," Dragons head coach Jonathan Haack said. "Our boys run our offense as a routine. They don't see the potential for scoring in every aspect of it yet."

Monte del Sol did give the Trojans something to work on in the second half by forcing a halfcourt pace. Mesa Vista struggled to maintain its intensity in that style last year, and Vigil doesn't want that to linger.

"We need to work on our halfcourt offense and defense," Vigil said. "It seems like if we don't press, we're not the same team. We need to get to the point where we are playing hard whether we're pressing or not."

At the Eagle Classic

N.M. School for Deaf 45, New Life Baptist 32

The Roadrunners lacked a presence in the paint, so they turned the pressure up on the perimeter to hide it. With post Justin Vaughan out with a fever, junior guard Joey Huerta highlighted the strategy's success with 25 points and six steals.

Mark Lucero added 10 points, a team-high nine rebounds and three steals, and J.C. Ruiz contributed seven steals to the cause.

NMSD (2-0) plays Evangel Christian, the host, today at 7:30 p.m. in a semifinal.

Hope Christian (C-team) 62, Desert Academy 29

The Wildcats were in rush against the freshmen Huskies, and it didn't bode well for their offense.

Desert Academy (0-2) had two points in the first quarter and 10 by the break as Hope Christian held a 34-10 lead.

"We just kind of want to get the ball out of our hands as fast as possible," Wildcats head coach Daniel Romero said. "We're not taking shots or making passes out of our offense. We're just trying to get rid of the ball out of our hands."

Alex Kokesh had 16 points to lead the Wildcats, while Tommy Riley had 16 for the Huskies.

Desert Academy plays Bosque School's junior varsity today at 1:30 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

At the Eagle Classic

NMSD 42, New Life Baptist 22

Mornings suit Katie Velasquez just fine. The Lady Roadrunner senior post opened the tournament with 12 of NMSD's 17 first-quarter points and
24 by the time she took a seat on the bench after the third quarter.

Velasquez also tied for the team-high in rebounds with seven, along with Karina Mitchell. Mitchell also had 11 points in support of Velasquez.

"Velasquez was our workhorse inside the paint today," NMSD head coach Letty Perez said in an e-mail.

The Lady Roadrunners (2-0) play host Evangel Christian in a semifinal today at 6 p.m.

Jemez Valley 52, Santa Fe Waldorf 37

The Lady Warriors hounded the Lady Wolves at every turn in the first half, and it led to
21 turnovers in Waldorf's season opener.

That played a large part in Jemez building a 26-14 lead at the half.

"We just weren't able to take care of the basketball, but part of that was Jemez Valley taking that away from us," Waldorf head coach Daniel Wendland said. "The girls got out of their element and that was the story of the game."

The Lady Wolves, who finished with 29 turnovers, were led by Emma Aders' 17 points.

Waldorf plays Desert Academy or in a consolation semifinal at noon.

Alb. Hope Christian (JV) 44, Desert Academy 32

What was the problem in Game 1 for the Lady Wildcats (1-1) continued in Game 2.

Again, Corine Garcia and Estrella Flores were on the bench in the second quarter with foul trouble, and the junior Lady Huskies built a 19-12 halftime lead. Hope Christian then shredded Desert Academy's 2-3 zone in the third quarter for 38-24 heading into the final quarter.

But the bigger problem remained.

"We can't have our two leading scorers on the bench," Lady Wildcats head coach Natalie Passalacqua said. "They had a lot more depth and were bigger, but that second quarter just killed us having to sit (Garcia and Flores)."

Garcia rebounded to score 14 points and haul in eight rebounds. Allison Heylei led Hope Christian with 14 points.