NMMI Sports Press

The Colt Basketball team opened the 2023-24 season at home against the Roswell High junior varsity team Tuesday evening at Cahoon Armory, coming up just short in a 45-44 loss.

“We just missed a lot of shots,” said NMMI head coach Connor Williamson. “Definitely expected some first-game jitters and we saw that clearly at the end. Had a chance to tie with a layup and missed it, but still had a chance with an offensive rebound. I’m excited about this group.”

Normally the Colts wouldn’t start their season until after the winter break in January, but Williamson had enough local and international players left in Roswell to start on opening day.

“It’s a win for us just being able to play right now,” Williamson said. “These guys have been so excited to play, counting down the days, so it’s nice that we get to start with everyone else and hopefully be more seasoned when the really important games come along.”

The Colts led by seven points late in the first quarter, but two quick threes by the Coyotes made the score 11-10 in favor of the Institute.

A Torty Kalu-Ulu put-back gave NMMI a three-point lead early in the second period, but as turnovers began to stack up for the Colts, the Coyotes capitalized. RHS led 23-18 with 2:30 left in the half, but NMMI shooting guard Diego Martinez cut the lead to two with a tough layup plus a foul shot, followed by a put-back in the paint off his own miss.

Martinez led the Colts with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting. The junior was 1-for-4 from behind the arc and hit 3-of-5 from the free-throw line.

“I love watching Diego play,” said Williamson. “He busts his butt every day in practice, I never have to worry about him. He’s just so fun to watch.”

The Colts shot a paltry 20 percent from the field in the second half, but stayed in the game thanks to second chances and good defense. Newcomer Ian Thompson made his presence felt in the third quarter, pulling down seven of his team-leading eight rebounds.

“I’m excited about Ian. He’s a lefty, he can shoot threes, rebound. He has a nice skill set. There are things he can do better of course, but we have a long ways to go and I’m glad we have him here at the Institute,” said Williamson.

The Colts built up a five-point lead late in the third with a Jake Hayes 3-pointer and kept the advantage going into the fourth with two Carper Lackey free throws.

The Coyotes tied the game at 37-all early in the final period with five quick points from Ben Lueras and took the lead with Victor Erives field goal as the Colts shooting woes continued.

NMMI tied the game with a mid-range jumper from Hayes off the steal by Xavier Johnson, but the Coyotes hit back-to-back 3s to take the lead for good. Lackey gave the Colts a chance with a steal and easy layup to make it 45-43 with about a minute remaining.

Kalu-Ulu missed the game-tying shot with 23 seconds left, but Thompson rebounded and drew the foul, hitting the second of his two free shots to pull the Colts within a point.

With several fouls to give and just eight ticks left on the clock, the Coyotes were forced to inbound the ball three times, eventually working past half court and dribbling out the last few seconds.

The Colts outrebounded the Coyotes 35-30, but many were fruitless offensive boards. NMMI had just five assists and turned the ball over 26 times.

Williamson acknowledged there’s plenty to clean up, but he’s happy to have more time with his players to work. The Colts will get in two more games this week, with a trip to Tatum Thursday for a matchup with the other Coyotes at 4:30 p.m., then back at Cahoon Saturday morning for a 10 a.m. tilt with the Hagerman Bobcats.