Four local girls teams have advanced to the state high school basketball tournament.
The most surprising team to qualify for state would have to be the Dulce girls. The Lady Hawks finished second in the District 2AA tournament after upsetting Coronado Feb. 24 in the semifinals and losing to Navajo Prep in the championship game.
The Hawks were just 2-24 last season and are only 8-21 this season. First-year head coach Roland Bradford has done a great job of keeping the Hawks together and finally getting them to believe in themselves.
Dulce’s opponent in the opening round will be Peñasco, which beat Mesa Vista 42-27 in the District 3AA championship. The Lady Trojans qualified for state for the first time since 1999 by beating Questa 54-35 in the semifinals of the District 3AA tournament Feb. 24 in Ojo Caliente.
The Trojans have an impressive 20-3 record. Coach Richard Montoya has turned this team around since he took over three years ago. The Trojans have an excellent shot at advancing to the quarterfinals of the state tournament in Albuquerque, which would be quite an accomplishment
Texico and Santa Rosa have dominated polls in Class AA, but Peñasco has been moving up steadily and now is ranked fourth. Navajo Pine sits in third place. Mesa Vista is ranked ninth. Defending state champion Navajo Prep appears to be in a rebuilding year.
In Class AAA girls basketball, the Pojoaque Elkettes have advanced to the state tournament. Pojoaque turned around what was starting to be a disappointing season when they started District 2AAA play and put together a seven-game winning streak in what many consider the toughest district in the state. The Elkettes finished the district season in a first-place tie with Santa Fe Indian School.
The Lady Braves are starting to look like the team that beat Española in the Lady Sundevils’ opening game of the season and are ranked second in Class AAA. It wouldn’t be a surprise this year if the Class AAA championship game featured Santa Fe Indian School and Portales. The same two teams met in 2005, with Indian School prevailing 42-37 to win its first state championship.
Pojoaque was upset 49-31 Feb. 25 in the semifinals of the District 2AAA tournament by West Las Vegas. The Lady Dons are beginning to regain the form they had earlier in the season, when for several weeks they were the top-ranked team in Class AAA.
Portales is ranked first in Class AAA. The Lady Rams have not lost to a Class AAA team all season. They are 15-8 overall, but all their losses have been to Class AAAA or AAAAAA schools. Lovington has an impressive 22-4 record, but has been beaten badly twice by Portales. Thoreau could be the dark horse at the state tournament.
Pojoaque, as it has proven during the season, cannot be counted out. The Elkettes have a way of imposing their will on other teams and are the two-time defending Class AAA state champions.
The Española Valley Lady Sundevils have locked up a spot in the Class AAAA state tournament. The Sundevils slipped a notch in the Class AAAA polls, dropping from third to fourth, with Roswell High School moving ahead of them. I’m not sure this was warranted, because the Lady Sundevils have more wins (24) than any team in Class AAAA while Roswell is just 16-9 on the year. The top four teams in Class AAAA are a cut above the rest.
Kirtland Central is the top-ranked team with a sparkling 21-2 record and was undefeated in District 1AAAA. Second-ranked Shiprock has beaten the Sundevils this season.
Española is by no means a long shot when it comes to winning a state championship. All season long Española has made up for a lack of height with tenacious defense and quickness. As in Class AAA, the team that is able to raise its level of play at the state tournament will likely be the one to take home the blue trophy.