NMMI Sports Press

The Colt Basketball team picked up their first home court win of the young season Saturday morning, downing the visiting Hagerman Bobcats 69-55 with an eight-man winter roster comprised of cadets that chose to stay at NMMI during part of their holiday break.

“This was a really good team effort. We ran a six-man rotation and all six contributed and picked up the slack from not having (starting shooting guard) Diego (Martinez) today,” said NMMI head coach Connor Williamson. “We made shots and the guys moved the ball very unselfishly. This is probably the best passing team I’ve had.”

Junior point guard Jake Hayes led the Colts with 19 points, including two 3-pointers and a 3-for-4 performance from the free-throw line.

Juniors Ian Thompson and Xavier Johnson each scored 14, with the center Thompsons points coming mostly from underneath the basket, while guard-forward Johnson drained four 3s.

Junior forward-center Torty Kalu-Ulu had eight points, but left the game in the second half with an apparent leg injury. His status moving forward is unknown at this time.

Juniors Sawyer Hull and Carper Lackey each chipped in with seven points, with all of Lackey’s coming at the charity stripe.

Hagerman’s Jevon Aguilar led all scorers with 29 points, including five triples.

The Colts took control early, outscoring the ‘Cats 24-6 in the first quarter and never relinquishing the lead.

Next up for the Colts is a trip to Truth or Consequences for the Hot Springs Tourney, where NMMI will face the hosts on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.

“These games are huge for experience and conditioning and it will be rough with a small roster, especially if we don’t get Torty back,” Williamson said. “But we have guys that can handle it. Jake’s played 32 minutes a couple times already and I expect him to keep it up. To get out of these games with any wins is just icing on the cake.”

After the three day tourney, the Colts will take a well-deserved break for the holidays before resuming action on Jan. 4 at the Jal Tourney.