Pecos coasts past Mora in Tri-Cities

Beating three opponents by an average of 36 points a game, the Pecos Panthers didn’t just win the Tri-Cities Tournament over the weekend in Mora.

They served notice that they may well be the team to beat in Class 2A boys’ basketball this season.

The coup de grace for coach Russ Gilmore’s Panthers came Saturday night against district archrival Mora. Pecos bombed the host Rangers 101-62 in the tourney’s title game. Darren DeHerrera (25) Brandon Quintana (24) and John Vigil (22) combined for 71 points.

Pecos opened by routing Escalante 62-18 on Thursday, parlaying a 27-2 first quarter into a 44-point beating.

Pecos then overwhelmed Santa Rosa 67-41 in one of two Friday semifinals.

Pecos is 8-1; Mora is 7-3. The teams are ranked second and sixth, respectively, in the latest Class 2A poll.