After a big win in the semifinal, Mesa Vista had to stay focused. They had one more win they needed over the weekend.
And they were ready.
“I looked back in the bus, and all of them were looking out the window with their headphones on,” Jesse Boies said.
Mesa Vista (10-2) stayed in control. They took down three good teams in a row to repeat as Northern Rio Grande Tournament champions, culminating with a 63-47 win over Dulce (9-7) in the final on Jan. 6, a rematch of 2023. The Lady Trojans made their mark as one of the state’s top teams, and have now won nine in a row.
“It was something this team needed,” Lady Trojan Coach Jesse Boies said. “They’ve worked hard for it. We’re starting to roll.”
Throughout the final, as well as the semifinal, Edward Medina Gymnasium was near capacity. One side of the newly-renovated bleachers had an error in its installation and could not be used, and it was hard to find an open seat on the other side.
Boies said the team was battling illness throughout the weekend, but they overcame it for the win.
Mesa Vista knew the way to beat Dulce would be to slowly chip away, and build a bigger lead throughout the game. And they did just that, winning every quarter. Dulce led 4-3 early, but the Trojans were up the rest of the way.
After one quarter, the margin was 14-11. By halftime, they led by seven. After three quarters, it was a 13-point game. And by the end, they led by 16. Throughout the game, their strong defense forced Dulce into tough shots, even when Mesa Vista’s offense wasn’t as smooth as they wanted.
It was the third meeting between the Hawks and Trojans, and Mesa Vista has won all three by double digits.
“It’s not the win we want,” said Tana Lopez, who leads the team with over 21 points per game. “We want to look to the bigger win.
In the first round, eighth-seeded Escalante (4-8) put up quite a fight. The Lady Lobos took the lead in the third quarter, before Mesa Vista battled back to close out the game and win 67-50. Shanae Silva was instrumental with 21 points, and Lopez added 20 — including 11 in the third quarter.
The semifinal was a fight against Peñasco — the team that Mesa Vista had been itching to play all season. The Panthers (7-6) jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but Mesa Vista responded and led 21-19 by the end of the first quarter.
And their relentless offense never slowed down. The Trojans added 22 points in the second quarter to take an 11-point lead to halftime. Peñasco rallied back a bit in the third quarter, but by early in the fourth the Lady Trojans were up by 14. They scored 76 points against a strong defense, and might have gone for more if the game was closer in the fourth quarter.
Bella Boies had a huge game in the semifinal, with 20 points — 18 of which came in the first half, many on transition layups — and she added 10 assists to her state-leading total. Lopez was huge later in the game, with 17 of her 30 points coming in the second half.
“I was excited, I was ready to play,” Bella Boies said.
The Lady Trojans will face more big challenges this week at the Santa Fe Indian School tournament, starting with a first-round game against Bernalillo (5-6).
Dulce faces Quesa (8-3) on Saturday, with still nearly a month before the start of their district play.