NMMI Sports Press

The New Mexico Military Institute Colt basketball team earned a spot in the title tilt of the Dexter Invitational, downing the Tularosa Wildcats, 55-46, in the second round of play in the three-day, eight-team tournament.

The Colts used a combination of frequent inside scoring, timely marksmanship from behind the arc, and four quarters of solid man-to-man defense to get the win, despite trailing by two, 12-10, after the first period of play.

NMMI’s offense went to work in the second and third stanzas, tallying 16 points in each, while on the opposite end of the court, the Institute defense kept the ‘Cats in single digits in both periods: eight points in the second and nine in the third.

Institute junior guard Daniel Xibille was the game’s top scorer with 21 points, including 12 in the second to help NMMI overcome that slim, early Tulie lead.

And when the Wildcats adjusted their defense to help slow down the Colt’s points in the paint, the hot hand of Hector Soto made them pay from the outside. The freshman shooting guard went 5-for-6 from behind the arc, which is special enough, but was more about when he pulled the trigger than how often. His threes seemed to come at exactly the right moment, ending a ‘Cat scoring run and stifling every ‘Cat comeback attempt.

“We just played a really good, team game,” said junior Colt point guard Ricardo Mata. “I didn’t score, but my team was there for me and I was there for them. We just played really good defense and Daniel had an outstanding game.”

With the second-round win over Tularosa, and yesterday’s victory over Mesilla Valley Christian, 50-38, the Colts move to 6-2 overall.

They’ll face Jal, who defeated the tourney host Demons, in the championship match of the Dexter Invitational at 6:15 P.M. tomorrow.