On Saturday evening, New Mexico Military Institute fell to Melrose High School, 56-54, in the championship game of the Bruce King Invitational in Moriarty, NM. With the setback the Colts dip to 5-3 as they head into the break.

Q1

As they did yesterday, NMMI came out the gate with great offense as they scored 12 quick points, forcing a timeout as the Colts held the early 12-10 advantage with 3:16 left in the opening quarter.

Getting involved early, Mihail Parada took on the scoring role as he tallied a pair of quick threes and two other buckets as he pitched in 10 points in the opening quarter. With the help of a Carper Lackey three, the Colts were able to end the first quarter with a 20-15 lead.

Q2

In the second period the Colts struggled to find the same offensive rhythm as they only scored eight points while Melrose scored 13 of their own and they went on a 13-8 in the entire eight minutes of the period. After a closely contested opening 16 minutes, the score was knotted at 28-28 heading into halftime.

Q3

With the score tied at 28, the Colts used the three-point line in the third quarter as they scored a trio of threes, accounting for nine of the 14 total points put up by the Colts offense in the period. Micah Grado, Lackey and Parada each drained a three to help the Colts to a narrow 42-40 lead after 24 minutes of play.

Q4

Xavier Johnson tallied three of his nine points early in the fourth as he knocked down a three to give the Colts a 45-40 lead with 6:13 left in the ballgame. Following a NMMI timeout, the momentum switched as Melrose began to cut into the lead. With the help of four trips to the free throw line and a pair of threes, Melrose outscored the Colts, 16-12, in the final period. Down 2, the half court heave for NMMI fell short as dropped the contest 56-54.

The Colts return to action in 2025 as they take on Portales JV in round one of the Panther Invitational in Jal, NM on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 3:45 p.m. NMMI will play Friday and Saturday with opponents and times to be determined.