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H.S. Basketball: Cibola JV guard lifts Cougars to victory
Rick Scibelli/Special to the Tribune
Cibola's Stefan Ford skies over West Mesa's Adam Benavidez in the second half of the Cougars' double-digit win. A junior varsity transplant was the difference Thursday night for a Cibola squad struggling to find consistency.
Rick Scibelli/Special to the Tribune
Cibola's Dustin Westby battles for possession against West Mesa. The Cougars earned a 59-36 win over their District 1-5A foe Thursday night at Cibola High.
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In a way, James Gleason hoped to go unnoticed.
Step 1: Get in.
Step 2: Get a break for starting guard Andrew Apodaca Í preferably without making Cibola coach Ray Rodriguez wince.
Step 3: Get out.
"I just wanted to be solid and not turn the ball over," said Gleason, a sophomore guard for the Cougars. "I usually don't get that much playing time."
After Thursday night's performance, Gleason might find his coach willing to grant more minutes.
He got noticed.
Gleason carried his team through a rough spot before Cibola roared to a 59-36 win over District 1-5A foe West Mesa. He scored eight points in the second quarter, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers.
"He came through and hit some really big shots," said Cibola forward Jon Mader, who scored a game-high 15 points. "I think that really motivated our team to step it up defensively and offensively."
It wasn't the role Rodriguez or any other Cibola player expected for Gleason.
Said Rodriguez: "Obviously Í we have him on JV as a sophomore Í we think a lot of him. He's fundamentally sound. He doesn't miss assignments. He can shoot it, penetrate a little bit. But he's not a guy we thought would be the answer. He certainly was in that first half."
Gleason provided a temporary patch for a problem that has dogged Cibola all season: inconsistent play.
The Cougars (12-7 overall, 1-1 in district) opened the game with a technical foul because Mycah Huitron wore a different jersey number (25) than was listed next to his name in the official score book (34).
They ended the quarter down 13-6 to West Mesa (10-9, 0-2), having turned the ball over six times in its final nine possessions.
Enter Gleason.
He calmly nailed three of Cibola's four field goals in the second quarter, pushing the Cougars to a 20-19 halftime lead. Gleason's second knuckleball 3-pointer Í inexplicably, it doesn't spin but occasionally tumbles Í cut Cibola's deficit to two points. His driving layup moments later gave the Cougars the lead for good.
"That was huge for us," Rodriguez said. "He was the only guy that could get the ball in the hoop."
Until last week, Gleason was primarily a junior varsity weapon. Between the JV and varsity games, floaters can play five quarters a night. Gleason typically played all four of the undercard game and occasionally earned spot minutes on the bigger stage.
Gleason moved up the depth chart a bit when Cougars guard Erik Sparks suffered a dislocated ankle near the end of the Jan. 24 against Rio Grande. He didn't play in last Saturday's district loss to Gallup Í a move Rodriguez called "a mistake" Í but should have plenty more opportunities to gain experience. Rodriguez expects Sparks to miss another three weeks.
This year, Cibola has shown it often needs the jolt Gleason provided Thursday.
One game the Cougars knock off Highland, widely considered to be the metro area's best team. Another game, Cibola falls to sub-.500 Valley.
One quarter against West Mesa, the Cougars manage six points. Another quarter, they drop 22.
"We'd like to see four consistent quarters," Rodriguez said. "You'd like to think that by game 19 now it would come soon."
Chance No. 20 will come tonight against rival Rio Rancho.
