SANTA TERESA — Santa Fe High's boys basketball team ensured Saturday night that it will be a historical footnote in the sports lore of this far-flung corner of New Mexico.

The Santa Teresa Desert Warriors zipped past, through and over the Demons, winning a Class AAAA Boys State Basketball Tournament first-round game 73-37 and setting up next week their first game in The Pit — ever.

"We couldn't put anything in the hole," Santa Fe head coach David Rodriguez said. "It was their night. They're a fast team. Quick. They work hard on the boards ... We had breakdowns. We tried changing defenses, and every time we did, we had breakdowns. It seemed like everything we tried to do they had an answer for."

The athletic and aggressive Desert Warriors, the third seed, played like a seasoned playoff squad. They pounced early, and never gave the 14th-seeded Demons a whiff of confidence.

Every Santa Teresa player shot with swagger. The Desert Warriors chased rebounds and loose balls as though they had a head start and knew the ball's path.

Four Santa Teresa players scored in double figures, led by Josh Ramirez's 20 points and 10 rebounds. He was actually second on the team in rebounding. Adrian Ortegon pulled 11.

As a group, the Desert Warriors swarmed missed shots. They pulled 36 rebounds compared to 17 by Santa Fe. Rodriguez counted 12 offensive rebounds for Santa Teresa.

"That was the difference," he said.

Santa Fe (10-17) trailed early and needed to gain momentum after the first quarter.

The Demons just couldn't.

A 17-4 run in the second quarter by Santa Teresa (19-8) effectively ended Santa Fe's season.

"In that critical moment we tried everything," Rodriguez said. "We called three timeouts. They just beat us in every aspect of the game."

As a college basketball arena, The Pit is venerable.

As a venue for New Mexico high school basketball, that subterranean playground is mystical (even with the recent glitches).

Santa Teresa, which opened in 1993, had never advanced to Albuquerque in the boys basketball state playoffs. It had lost three straight years to Northern New Mexico teams before this season. On Saturday, the Desert Warriors played like a team spurned.

"I don't even know how to explain it," Demons senior Jay Martinez said. "They came out strong. They played like they wanted it more. We wanted it, but we didn't show it."

It was a tough end to a dramatic season. Junior guard Nick Martinez was the only Demon to score in double figures. He had 11.

"We had our ups and downs. ... We battled and battled in one of the toughest districts in the state. We made it so state, that was one of our goals. These kids poured out everything that they had. I love them for that and I respect them for that," Rodriguez said.

The Demons also might have unwittingly started something special for basketball tradition-starved Santa Teresa.

"We're going to be known," said Desert Warriors senior forward Jon Burciaga. "We're not known yet. ... We got three games left."