The Esclante girls basketball team had one of the most electric offenses in New Mexico, and looked poised to make a run at a state title. But that all got cut short when the pandemic took its toll on the team.
The Lady Lobos had to pull out of the 2A state tournament due to COVID-19 and contact tracing, and ultimately forfeited their game as the No. 4 seed that would have been against Tatum. Despite the season being cut short, the team is able to take the positive memories from this season.
“It’s definitely an unforgettable group of girls that we had this last year,” said senior Abbygail Garcia.
Senior Mia Terrazas said after playing together for so many years since middle school or even elementary school for some, they had a great bond and chemistry together.
The team had to keep working for many months while the school was closed and they were unsure if they would be able to play that year. Garcia said a lot of the players would meet up at local parks to keep their strong chemistry and skills in shape.
“It was nice just to be together and to be around each other,” Garcia said. “But we always had that uncertainty in the back of our minds.”
The team did not have a chance to practice fully together until late March, before their first game on April 1. And even when they returned to in-person learning, the seniors did not interact much with the athletes in younger grades.
“When we actually found out that we were going to have a season, it was just a big relief,” Terrazas said. “We were all excited, because it’s something we had been waiting for all year.”
“Every day we just took it day by day, hoping that we would get to play,” Garcia said.
As they kept playing, though, they started winning. While battling challenges such as wearing masks and the constant uncertainty of if their season might end on any given day.
The Lady Lobos finished the year at 9-3 overall, and were a perfect 8-0 in district play. Of their regular season losses, both were on the road by respectable margins to top teams, and were early in the season before the team had a chance to fully connect together (and both were after quite long drives, too.)
They lost to West Las Vegas, the No. 2 seed in the 3A bracket, and at Pecos, the eventual undefeated 2A champions.
In eight district games, the Lady Lobos won by an average of 28 points, and averaged more than 60 points per game while no other team averaged more than 50. Based on the way they played in the final stretch, they certainly had the makings of a team with potential to go all the way.
The team earned a No. 4 seed in the state tournament, and was set to host Tatum and then potentially rematch with Pecos.
But the night before their first game, Escalante athletic director Isaac Royston called each member of the team to tell them that someone had tested positive for COVID-19, and they would have to quarantine for contact tracing. Their worst fears came true, and that was the end of the basketball season.
“All of us were pretty devastated,” said Garcia. Their first concern, of course, was the health of their teammate, but they were obviously heartbroken to not get to finish what they started.
Garcia and Terrazas are the only players leaving the team, and a talented group of underclassmen will return next year.
Garcia said her sister, sophomore Cipriana, is using this as motivation for next year.
“There’s still a lot of talent there, after we leave,” said Terrazas. “Everybody’s pretty excited to see how they’re going to do next year.”
“This next group of girls, they’re really something else,” Garcia said.