ALBUQUERQUE -- The writing was on the wall.

For the past two weeks, the Capital Jaguars faced a handful of close, emotional wins. They have endured a rash of injuries.

It took its toll on the team, and Friday night against Albuquerque St. Pius X, it all came to a head.

The Jaguars looked like weary travelers driving cross country in a cramped compact car. They played like it as well, especially in the second half, as the Sartans dominated the second half of a 55-42 non-district win in St. Sebastian Gymnasium.

"We had dead legs," said Mark Senteney, Capital head coach. "We were just not mentally ready for this game."

There's not much recovery time either. Capital returns to District 2AAAA play Tuesday at home against Española Valley.

The Jaguars (17-5) didn't look like the third-best team in Class AAAA. For a half, the Sartans (16-5) didn't look like the No. 4 team in AAAA either.

Both teams sleep-walked through the opening half as Capital, reluctantly, took a 19-16 lead at the break.

The first 16 minutes weren't pretty. Capital missed nine layups. St. Pius couldn't buy a bucket after sprinting to a 4-0 lead in the game's first minute of play.

"It's been the past seven games for us," said Damian Segura, Sartans head coach, of his team's scoring woes. "We'd been walking through a drought of scoring. We had been shooting in the low 30s. Even though we were 6-1 in those games, we had been living dangerously."

While both teams couldn't score, the Sartans did the little things well. They blocked out, played a tough half-court man-to-man defense and hit their free throws. That all came to fruition when the second half began.

St. Pius junior post Nick Stafford awoke his team and the home crowd when he scored the first two of three three-point plays in the third quarter. Like a shot of adrenaline, the Sartans found their offense, and with their stingy defense, outscored the Jaguars 20-8 in the third for a 36-28 lead heading into the final quarter.

That's when Capital succumbed to the physical and mental strains of the past two weeks.

The Jaguars didn't have the toughness to match the Sartans' intensity.

Capital didn't have the strength to equal the physical play of St. Pius X.

An 8-2 Sartans run gave them a 44-34 lead early in the fourth.

Game over.

"We just looked like a tired team out there," Senteney said. "I don't know if [Wednesday's 60-57 home win over Santa Fe High] took a lot out of us or what.
St. Pius started getting things going their way and we just fell apart."

Stafford was a one-man wrecking
crew in the second half and finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Altamirano added 11.

Christian Martinez played well in the first half as Capital built as much as a four-point lead in the second quarter. But he was the only Jaguar to create any type of offense and finished with 16 points.

Martinez normally gets scoring help from Mikey Lopez. The duo scored 15 each when Capital beat St. Pius in the first round of the Stu Clark Tournament.

In the rematch, Lopez netted seven, all in the second half.

"The way our season has gone, we have had two guys who are pretty consistent, Mikey and Christian," Senteney said. "We just didn't have anyone else step up. Mikey just didn't have a good game. He is just going to have to suck it up and get ready for the district games."

Sounds like all of the Jaguars need to do that.