Just two weeks after mopping the floor with Sandia Preparatory in a District 5AAA rout in Albuquerque, the second-ranked St. Michael's boys basketball team was upset at home 51-50 by the third-ranked Sundevils on Saturday night in Perez-Shelley Memorial Gymnasium.

Sandia Prep (14-9, 3-2) led 12-6 after one quarter and 26-15 at halftime. The Horsemen (18-5, 3-2) rallied in the second half behind point guard Antonio Garcia and had a shot to win it at the buzzer, but an attempt by sophomore Daniel Ortega was off the mark.

Garcia was the lone St. Michael's player in double figures with 21 points. Sophomore forward Matt Barela had nine.

Max Mitnik led Prep with 17 points. Johnny Doran had 10.

Held to 28 points through three quarters, the Horsemen scored 22 in the fourth quarter. They never did take the lead.

The Horsemen have dropped two straight at home and are 8-3 in Perez-Shelley this season.

ESPAñOLA VALLEY 61, SANTA FE HIGH 55

In Española, the Sundevils showed signs of life in the District 2AAAA race by holding off the visiting Demons.

Española (8-14, 2-3) got 13 points from Jeremy Romero, nine from Daniel Velasquez and eight apiece from three other players. All told, the team was 28-for-40 from the free throw line; 18-for-22 in the fourth quarter alone.

The Sundevils led 31-23 at halftime and carried a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter before Santa Fe (6-16,
2-3) mounted a rally that cut the deficit to two points in the closing moments.

Elliot Nicholas led the Demons with 17 points. Nick Martinez had 10 and DeVante Pellegrin nine. As a team, they were 28 of 35 from the free throw line.

"Fact is, we played a horrible basketball game," said Demons head coach David Rodriguez, whose team fell out of second place with the loss. "We weren't ready to play in the first half."

Santa Fe and Española are now tied for third in the district standings, one game behind Bernalillo and two-and-a-half back of unbeaten 2AAAA leader Capital. The Sundevils travel to Capital on Tuesday.

MORA 66, PEÑASCO 42

In Peñasco, the visiting Rangers (20-2, 4-0) made their first road game in District 2AA a successful one with a convincing win over the Panthers (7-13, 1-3).

Tim Romero had 20 points and 13 rebounds, leading three Mora players in double figures. Jose Trujillo had 16 points, Cody Najar 10 and Derek Hurtado seven to go along with 10 assists.

"The players came in with a mindset -- well I did, and they fed off mine, I think -- that we had to keep the pedal to the metal for four quarters," said James Branch, Rangers head coach. "The challenge for the second round of the district season is to keep it going."

Mora led 34-20 at halftime and by 15 or more for all but a few moments of the second half.

Joshua Gurule led Peñasco with 20 points.

WAGON MOUND 35, MAXWELL 22

In Maxwell, the visiting Trojans (16-5, 2-0) got 11 points from Eric Holguin and eight from Cory Muniz in a District 1B win over the host Bears.

Wagon Mound raced to a 15-1 lead after the first quarter, then turned the ball over 11 times in a sloppy second quarter in which it was outscored 8-2.