The Dulce Lady Hawks shocked Navajo Prep, the defending Class AA state basketball champions, 43-40 in District 2AA play Feb. 2 in Dulce.
The Lady Hawks had won only three times this season coming into the game, which was Prep’s district opener. Dulce took the lead in the fourth quarter and held off the Lady Eagles for the victory.
“I’m really proud of them,” Dulce coach Roland Bradford said. “They’ve come so far this season.”
The Hawks led 11-10 at the end of the first quarter and 40-38 in the fourth quarter. Prep’s Alexis Archambault sank a pair of free throws to tie the game.
The Hawks held a three-point lead when the Eagles called a time out with six seconds left in the game.
“I told them we had to get in everybody’s face,” Bradford said. “We can’t let them shoot the three.”
A desperation three-pointer by the Eagles missed the mark and Dulce had its first win over the Eagles since 2005, when Dulce last won the District 2AA championship. Carmen Gomez and Kaitlyn Vigil led the Hawks with each scoring 13 points. Diminutive 5-foot-2-inch Carmen DeDios had nine points for Dulce.
“(DeDios) played a really tremendous game,” Bradford said.
The Hawks were not able to keep their momentum going into its Feb. 4 District 2AA game against Coronado.
“I told them that they could be satisfied with (beating Navajo Prep) or they could be hungry and want more,” Bradford said.
The Hawks were hungry, but it was the Leopards that devoured Dulce 56-54 in Coronado’s district opener. Coronado led 14-6 after the first quarter and 23-19 at halftime. “(Coronado) pretty much controlled the first half,” Bradford said.
In the third quarter, Dulce outscored Coronado 23-12 to lead 42-35 heading into the fourth quarter.
“We went to a full-court press,” Bradford said. “That’s how we got back into the lead.”
Coronado’s Angie Schmitz led the Leopards back, scoring 13 of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter. A basket by Schmitz tied the game and the Hawks turned the ball over on their next three possession with under a minute left to play. Coronado led 56-52 with four seconds left when Gomez scored the game’s final two points for Dulce.
Gomez had 15 points and Vigil added 14 for the Hawks. Stephany Velasquez backed up Schmitz with 12 points for Coronado.
Coronado is 8-8 overall after losing 49-34 to Escalante Feb. 5 in Tierra Amarilla. Escalante defeated Dulce 67-59 in overtime Jan. 29 in the district opener for both teams. The Lady Lobos had a chance to take firm control of District 2AA, but lost 62-36 to the Eagles Feb. 6 at home.