In rivalry games, anything can happen.
Nogales High School learned that lesson two years ago when the Apaches’ boys basketball team, which included two of the state’s top scorers in Jose Estrada and Adalberto Diaz, lost 65-64 to Santa Cruz County rival Rio Rico.
The following year, the Hawks continued their dominance and beat the Apaches 59-39.
Monday, Nogales got a bit of revenge in the I-19 rivalry game, beating Rio Rico 68-45 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Basketball Classic at McKale Center.
Nogales senior Sammy Legleu has been on the varsity team for three years, and he was looking to avenge the last two losses to Rio Rico.
“I was telling the coaching staff that I wanted to get this one, whatever it took,” Legleu said. “Luckily, we got that win.”
The game was played in front of hundreds of fans from both schools. Rio Rico sent up three fan buses from the campus to cheer on both the boys and girls teams. The Lady Hawks played against Amphi earlier in the day.
“We had a great turnout; a lot of support,” Rio Rico athletic director Jonathan Chaves said. “It’s a great event for our county, so it’s a great opportunity for our kids to play in this kind of environment. I’m happy for them.”
Nogales struggled to find enough interest for a fan bus, athletic director Kevin Kuhm said, but the school still brought out three buses for the entire school band and one bus for the cheer and dance teams.
“I think it had to do because we didn’t have school today and a lot of parents didn’t have work,” Kuhm said. “We still packed our side, but I think, for a lot of people, it was just easier for them to drive themselves up.”
On the Nogales side, fans included the entire Apaches baseball team, which had already been in town for a tournament. The team played at 11:30 a.m., went out for lunch and made it to McKale in time for the 3:30 p.m. start.
Marcel Bachelier, who committed to play baseball for the University of Arizona in November, said the support the Apaches received at McKale was special for him because it feels like the community is getting a chance to be a part of what he’ll experience next school year.
“It’s the best feeling in the world, Bachelier said. “Outside from this experience, when we come up to Tucson and play, being able to look out at the crown and seeing everyone support you just makes you feel so much better.”
Among the cheering group dressed in red and white colors, a large poster for Andre Greene — a senior on the Hawks team — stood out. A group of Greene’s family members — which included his parents, Jerry Lara and Ethelubina Garcia, his nina, Gloria Alvarez and cousins — cheered loudly for the senior.
The family said they were proud of Greene and glad he had another chance to play at McKale, especially against Nogales this year.
“This is probably the second-biggest rivalry in the state of Arizona, besides Douglas and Bisbee,” Lara said. “It’s awesome. There’s a big rivalry, but regardless, after the game, everyone comes together.”
