Canutillo boys basketball team knocks off El Paso High, wins bi-district title

Felix F. Chavez, El Paso Times

February 23, 2022 at 12:12 AM·4 min read

Canutillo's Gio Gutierrez (1) celebrates with his team their 64-46 win against El Paso High School Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, at Canutillo High School in El Paso, TX.

Alex Jordan may not have the name recognition on the Canutillo boys basketball team as Gio Gutierrez, Joseph Martinez or LJ Martin.

But his presence has been felt all season for the Eagles, who were the No. 2 seed out of District 2-5A entering the the Class 5A playoffs.

In Tuesday's 65-46 win against El Paso High, the 6-foot-4 Jordan played a key role with 17 points and 12 rebounds in helping the Eagles advance to Friday's area round matchup against Amarillo High.

"He's got great hands and he did a great job on the boards against El Paso high," Canutillo coach Larry Morales said. "He's really come a long way for us and has a bright future."

Jordan, who is a sophomore, also played a key role as a defensive end on the Eagles' District 2-5A title winning football team which won two playoff games.

"Early in the season, it took me some time to get adjusted to my first year on the varsity basketball team," Jordan said. "But I have great teammates and everyone helped me. As the season has gone along, I've just fit into my role on this team. I came out and just wanted to help the team get off to a good start."

Jordan scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half and had seven rebounds as Canutillo led 35-13 at halftime.

"We played a really good first half and our defense was excellent," Morales said. "I was really happy with the effort."

El Paso High raced back and cut the lead to 44-39 in the fourth quarter before the Eagles finished strong with another run.

Canutillo's Gio Gutierrez (1) shoots at a boys basketball game against El Paso High School Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, at Canutillo High School in El Paso, TX.

Gutierrez' 24 points led the way for Canuillo, and Martin added 14 points. Jack Norton led the Tigers with 18 points, all in the second half.

Now comes the Eagles' biggest test of the year against No. 4 Amarillo, which defeated Lubbock Cooper, 57-29 on Tuesday.

"It's a challenge for us," Jordan said. "We just have to give our best effort and play with focus."

Class 4A

* San Elizario is moving on to the area round after a 56-53 win against Monahans. Junior guard Daniel Perez made a 3-pointer to win the game with two defenders guarding him. He finished the game with 23 points. Matt Cruz and Miguel Rivera each added nine points for the Eagles, who avenged an earlier season loss to Monahans.

The Eagles have won four bi-district titles under coach Mauricio Perez, the father of Daniel.

"It was a tight game and Monahans is a tough team. We knew it wouldn't be easy," Mauricio Perez said. "Daniel made a great shot and our kids played hard."

San Elizario plays Dumas on Friday.

* Mountain View saw its season come to an end with a 57-35 loss to Seminole.

San Elizario 56
Monahans 53

SEHS
Daniel Perez 23
Matt Cruz 9
Miguel Rivera 9

Bi-Districts Champs@Fchavezeptimes @Prep1USA @EPSports915 @FieldhouseSpor1 @RomanoCBS4 @ColinDeaverTV @AndyMorganTV @Tabchoops @Terrytom77 @MiguelR51991558 @MattCruz05 @DanielPerez12SE @ESPNTop pic.twitter.com/L9XNLbxubP
— San Elizario Boys Basketball (@SEHSBoysBB) February 23, 2022

Class 5A

Andress is moving on to the area round after defeating Bel Air, 54-40. The game was tied at 38 before the Eagles closed the game with a 16-2 run.

The Eagles face Canyon Randall in the area round on Friday.

"We had a nice run at the end of the first half, Bel Air made a strong push and then we finished the fourth quarter strong," Andress coach Eugene Costello said.

Cameron Smith led Andress with 13 points, Jaden Long scored 12 and Jamal Williams scored 11 for Andress. Fabian Castillo led Bel Air with 12 points.

Class 6A

* Americas defeated San Angelo Central, 43-38, to advance to meet Byron Nelson at 6 p.m. CST Thursday in Andrews. It is the second straight year, the Trailblazers defeated the Bobcats in the bi-district round.

Christian Nevarez led Americas with 16 points and Jordan Hernandez added 14 points.

Americas led 19-10 at the half, but San Angelo Central went on an 11-0 run to go up two points.

"Christian and Jordan were big for us down the stretch," Americas coach Mike Brooks said.

* Eastwood saw its season come to an end with a 57-46 loss to Odessa High.

* Franklin's season came to an end with a 47-35 loss to Odessa Permian.

* Coronado lost 72-43 to Wolfforth Frenship. Cason Golding led the Thunderbirds with 11 points.

More: Chapin, Tornillo, Parkland win boys bidistrict basketball titles

Felix F. Chavez may be reached at 915-546-6167; fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso boys high school basketball bi-district round recap

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Class 4A

Class 5A

Class 6A

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