The game between Dulce and Laguna-Acoma was a battle between two Native American schools, representing the Jicarilla Apache nation and the Laguna and Acoma Pueblos.
“It’s more than just a game,” Dulce coach Alyssa Veneno said. “When one of the native communities — whether that would have been us or Laguna — wins, we all win. And that’s across the board for all native communities. When one of us is winning, we’re all winning. It really comes down to, all of us are winning, and being represented on a higher stage.”
In their fifth matchup of the season, No. 3 seed Laguna-Acoma got the better of No. 6 Dulce, outrunning them from the gates and dominating rebounds in a 55-33 win in the state basketball quarterfinals on Tuesday at the Rio Rancho Events Center.
“We just came out flat in our shooting,” Veneno said. “That first half, we were a little scattered everywhere, because we’ve never been in this position. These girls have never been on that type of stage.”
Gianna Carillo led Laguna-Acoma with 17 points before fouling out early in the fourth quarter, and Sylvia Gedman had 17 rebounds.
As a team, Laguna-Acoma grabbed 21 offensive boards, and outrebounded Dulce 55-32 overall. That, combined with seven 3-pointers, made the difference in a dominant win. Dulce shot just 9-for-44 (20 percent) in the game. And seemingly every loose ball went the way of Laguna-Acoma.
“There were some times that they did out-hustle us,” Veneno said
Sidneyanne Becenti led Dulce with nine points and six rebounds.
Dulce had won one of the first four matchups, and lost another on a buzzer beater. As one of the top-ranked teams throughout the season, they may have gone further if they had a different opponent this time
“I think that by next year, they would learn to set their own pace,” said senior Toccara Harrison. “We had trouble doing that. And I hope that it improves next year, knowing that some of us aren’t coming back.”
The offensive rebounds started from the very beginning for Laguna-Acoma, though early on they often failed to convert into second-chance opportunities. But after Dulce went up 3-2 on a shot by Harrison, Laguna-Acoma scored 11 straight points to finish the first quarter.
After going down by 16 in the second quarter, Dulce’s offense finally came to life as they scored six points to trail by 10 at halftime.
But they fell off again in the third quarter, allowing 11 straight points in one stretch and losing the quarter 15-3, now trailing by 22. And they fell behind by 26 points in the fourth quarter, losing by 23 in the end.
“We definitely learned to stay mentally strong,” Becenti said. “To stay out of our heads, not listen to the crowd. Set our pace, and definitely box out. And to play as a team.”
Bailey Vigil, Dulce’s top scorer throughout the year, finished 0-for-6 from the four, though she added four points from the free-throw line.
“She feels that she needs to take control of the game,” Veneno said. “She’s an elite athlete. She’s definitely capable of doing that. But she has to understand that there’s four other girls on that court.”
Dulce finishes a fantastic season with 21 wins and a trip for the first time for the current group to the Albuquerque Metro for a state tournament.
“Coming back stronger meant a lot,” Becenti said. “Playing with my sisters and making memories.”
With three seniors, all starters, departing the team, a new group led by Vigil is ready to step up for the future. And the program should continue to grow under Veneno.
“We’ve been up and down, we had injuries, and we still fought,” Veneno said. “That was one thing our community was proud of. These girls never gave up when all odds were against them.”