With a strong record and a roster of young go-getters, it’s no surprise that Mesa Vista was selected as the No. 1 seed for the girls side of the annual three-day Northern Rio Grande Tournament that begins Thursday at Española Valley High School.
The Lady Trojans (10-2) open against No. 8 Escalante (3-6), which is rounding into shape following consecutive wins last week.
“This is like a baby state tournament for us,” Mesa Vista coach Jesse Boies said. “We’re pumped.”
Of late, the Lady Trojans have had a big presence in the tournament, coming in as the No. 1 or second-seeded team the last four year seasons. They’ve been in the championship game three consecutive years, winning the first two and taking second a year ago.
“We see where we measure up and where we need to work on things,” Boies said.
His freshman daughter, Aaliyah Boies, will be one of the players to watch. She’s averaging 14.1 points, with 6.6 steals and 3.2 assists per game. And junior teammate Aubrey Maestas is putting up 10.6 points while freshman Jordyn Serrano is grabbing 8.7 rebounds.
“We’ve had the most brutal schedule of any team in New Mexico,” Jesse Boies said. “We came out of it and now we’re the No. 2-ranked team in the state. I couldn’t be more proud of this young team and I’m excited for them.”
The Lady Lobos will be no pushover behind senior Rosa Talamante, who is averaging 13.3 points and freshman Danica Ulibarri who is adding 10.7.
“I think the field one through eight is pretty solid,” Jesse Boies said. “Escalante has shown what they can do.”
That side of the bracket also includes No. 4 Dulce (6-1 entering a game Tuesday against Coronado) against fifth-seeded Questa (5-3).
“It’s a big thing because it’s our own little state tournament in the North,” Hawks coach Clyde Sanchez said. “We have a lot of powerhouses in the North; Pecos, Mesa Vista, Peñasco. Some of the teams that won state championships. So now we see how these big dogs will do. I think it’s going to be a really good tournament.”
Dulce relies on a well-rounded lineup featuring balanced scoring, he said, with any of the players capable of having a high-scoring outing.
The Lady Wildcats, meanwhile, look to senior Alyse Lovato, who is averaging 17.3 points with seven rebounds and four steals.
On the bottom end of the bracket, No. 3 McCurdy (7-2) opens against No. 6 Peñasco (5-6).
The Lady Panthers will attack the Lady Bobcats behind senior Rochelle Lopez, who is averaging 18.9 points with 5.4 steals, while sophomore Katalina Atencio is snaring 4.5 steals in a ball-hawking defense that comes up with more than 18 thefts per game.
The final pairing pits second-seeded Mora (8-3) against No. 7 Pecos (4-7), in a rematch of a game that the Rangerettes won, 48-43, on Saturday.
“This year, you’ll see a lot of competition in the first round,” Sanchez said. “Besides us and Pecos, everybody is in the same district so it’s going to be exciting for them. This tournament is great for the fans. They love basketball up here in Northern New Mexico and this brings the communities together and the competition is awesome.”
It makes for great basketball theater, Jesse Boies said.
“This has always been my favorite of favorites,” he said. “It holds a special place for me and in the North. They all come out and support. It’s just fun, the atmosphere. It’s great and it gets the kids ready for March when we get to Santa Ana and the state tournament. The championship games almost sell out and the capacity is like 3,500 to 4,000 people in there. It gets our girls used to playing in front of a lot of people. All of Northern New Mexico comes and checks out the higher seed games, so it’s pretty cool.”