Mesa Vista Remains in Contention for a State Championship
It was a rough go for the local girls basketball teams in the opening round of the New Mexico high school state tournament Friday.
Teams were sent far and near, but it didn’t matter for each of the road warriors as none of them advanced to this week’s quarterfinals in Albuquerque and Bernalillo.
Only homestanding Mesa Vista remains in contention for a state championship, something the Lady Trojans have never done. As a matter of fact, the program has never reached the championship game.
CLASS 4A
No. 7 Deming 45
No. 10 Española Valley 36
Despite a late start to the game caused by travel issues, the Lady Sundevils (20-10) came out ready and alert against the Lady Wildcats (21-7).
“I think we did okay,” coach Ray Romero said. “The first quarter, we were focused and playing good basketball.”
But then things fell apart.
“The second quarter, we couldn’t buy a bucket,” Romero said. “We were going too fast. They were trying to speed us up and it worked. We needed to slow down.”
And shots that were dropping in the first quarter were lipping out.
“We had shots rimming out, the 3s,” he said. “The ball wasn’t falling for us.”
That continued through the third quarter, as well, as Española scored just eight points between the two periods.
“It’s never happened two quarters in a row,” Romero said.
The Lady Sundevils found their rhythm in the fourth quarter when they trailed 30-18, but by then it was too late to make a comeback.
“We won the first and the fourth quarters and they won the second and third quarters,” he said. “The problem is they won their quarters by more than we did.”
In an effort to get back into the game, Romero threw on a press, but that was not effective.
“We went to a man when we fell behind,” he said. “We had to start pressing and play a little bit more aggressive and we got out of our comfort zone. When we went into the fourth quarter, I told the team it wasn’t over yet and then we started hitting again. We’re a really resilient team.”
Hailey Renteria scored 11 for Española and Aliya Rael-Lopez added 10.
“I didn’t expect the season to end like this, but we won 15 of our last 19 and got to 20 wins,” Romero said. “I told them to keep their heads high.”
No. 6 St. Pius 58,
No. 11 Pojoaque
Valley 41
For the briefest of moments, it looked like the Elkettes (19-11) would be able to stampede down to Albuquerque and steal away a victory against the defending state champion Lady Sartans (19-8).
GG Romero’s 3-pointer with three minutes left in the second quarter tied it at 18-all and when she hit another 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, it put Pojoaque up 21-20, capping a comeback from an early 8-0 deficit.
But that giddy feeling was fleeting as St. Pius closed the half on a 7-0 run, then opened the third quarter on a 7-2 surge, giving the Lady Sartans a 34-23 advantage that the Elkettes simply could not overcome.
Romero finished with 19 points, 10 of those coming in that strong second quarter. Her sister Gerianna Romero scored nine, all of those in the fourth quarter and Lauren Salazar had one bucket in each quarter to finish with eight points.
CLASS 2A
No. 5 Tucumcari 54
No. 12 McCurdy 32
The Lady Bobcats (19-12) had a little trouble finding first gear, falling behind 24-7 in the first quarter, then it was a struggle the rest of the way trying to play catch up.
“It was a tough one,” coach Mel Martinez said. “It was a long trip and we didn’t get the outcome we wanted.”
McCurdy was not ready for the Lady Rattlers’ (22-7) speed of play, he said.
“They started pretty aggressive,” Martinez said. “They got a pretty decent lead on us and were up about 20 at the half. We adjusted, but in the first half, we were pretty stagnant. They jumped on us pretty quick. A lot of man-to-man pressure, Pressing. Just being real aggressive.”
The Lady Bobcats faced Tucumcari in the summer leagues but the Lady Rattlers showed a whole different side, he said.
“We were preparing for something that we saw in video before the year and they didn’t do what we were expecting,” he said. “After we adjusted, we were fine, but it was a little too late.”
McCurdy got 11 points from Isabella Archuleta and eight from Kaylee Martinez.
Still, for the Lady Bobcats, it was a good turnaround after not reaching the state playoffs since before COVID.
“It was a good experience,” Mel Martinez said.“Just going to state was important because they hadn’t been in several years. They were able to see what it’s going to take to compete at the next level. The state level.”
No. 2 Mesa Vista 63
No. 15 Hozho Academy 35
The Lady Trojans (25-3) turned in a workman-like performance in dispatching the Lady Wolves (16-13), with Tana Loepz putting up 20 and Hannah Lopez adding 16.
“Hozho is not a bad little team,” coach Jesse Boies said. “They’re young and big. But our girls did what they did best all year: Wear teams down and then they did their thing.”
In a packed and frenzied gym, the raucous atmosphere may have played a role, he said.
“It was electric,” he said. “The doors opened an hour-and-half before and people started flooding in. When we ran out, it was probably the loudest since I’ve been here. Those girls fed off the energy. It’s something special to be a part of it.”
It certainly got the adrenaline flowing.
“It was a slow start,” Boies said. “Both teams seemed a little nervous. With the crowd, both teams took a little bit to get going. But once we got rolling, we didn’t look back.”
The paint was one potential area where Hozho could have posed some problems, but frontcourt players Kaelyn Trujillo, Janessa Sandoval and Val Martinez put a quick end to that notion, Boies said.
“They took care of the inside,” he said. “We were under-sized but those three worked it out and talked and did what they needed to do.”
After taking a 13-5 lead at the end of the first quarter, Mesa Vista really got it together with a 25-point second quarter to have a 38-16 halftime lead.
Then it was a matter of stretching the bench and getting ready to meet No. 7 Eunice in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
“It was something that we needed,” Boies said of the early challenge. “We got tested at first. Hozho gave us their best for about a quarter. This time of year, you don’t look at the number on the side of the bracket. Every team that is here is solid and here for a reason. They know it’s their time. We just need to be physical and not back down and it will all right.”