Texico's size, athleticism overwhelms Mora 76-44 in boys 2A quarterfinals
· Yahoo Sports
RIO RANCHO — The Texico Wolverines are the top seed in Class 2A for a reason.
The Mora Rangers learned that on Wednesday morning in a 2A quarterfinal. Behind the all-around play of junior Jaheim Moses and a size advantage the Rangers couldn't match, the Wolverines clawed their way to the Friday semifinals by drubbing Mora 76-44 in the Rio Rancho Events Center.
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Moses was almost unstoppable on all fronts, as he scored a game-high 18 (19-12) points, grabbed nine rebounds, and had two steals plus a block. When Mora crept to within 30-22 late in the first half off a Krystopher Padilla drive, Moses came up with consecutive buckets to push the lead to 34-22 as Texico (28-2) never looked back.
The Rangers, who had one 6-foot player, struggled to match up against a Wolverines team that had seven players at 6-1 or taller. The size discrepancy showed in a 41-18 rebounding advantage and a 33-for-58 shooting performance from the field. Texico also had 16 offensive rebounds, with half of them coming in the opening quarter that saw it build a 20-11 lead.
Mora also struggled to take care of the ball, turning it over 11 times in the first half and 23 overall.
"You can't teach height," Mora head coach Manuel Romero said. "After a while, it takes a toll on a team. Our lack of size and not being able to match up hurt us."
Padilla finished with 15 points to lead the Rangers, while Antonio Garcia added 12.