Robinson’s Defensive Disappointment Struggles for Wildcats
ALBUQUERQUE — The battle was over, and the St. Michael's Horsemen had won, but the war is never quite over for the Robertson Cardinals of Las Vegas, N. M.
For a moment, Nathan Gonzales swore he saw something no Horsemen would dare admit Saturday afternoon as St. Michael's claimed the Class 3A title with a 70-57 win in The Pit. As the Cardinals (20-13) hung around despite foul trouble for three starters, including the 6-foot-6 Gonzales and even tied the score at 40-all late in the third quarter, Gonzales said their eyes told him something.
"I could really see it on their face, like ... St. Mike's looked scared," Gonzales said.
They really did. And we were fired up. " That part was true.
The bench was rocking and rolling with every positive Robertson play as it rallied from deficits of 18-8, 24-13 and 30-20 to pull even when guard Michael Marr, another of the foul-plagued Cardinals, drained a 3-ball with 1:31 left in the third to tie the score. The game plan to pack the paint and funnel any St. Michael's attack toward the long arms of Gonzales' law was working for Robertson.