Published 10/30/08
History was made at Northern New Mexico College Oct. 24 when the Eagles’ women’s basketball team took the court against the Westminster College Griffins. It was the fulfillment of a dream started two years ago and fueled by $350,000 in grants from the state legislature to establish an intercollegiate athletic program at Northern.
As the Eagles waited anxiously to take the floor, the feelings of both the players and coach Todd Huffman welled up.
“There was not a dry eye on this night,” Huffman said. “I didn’t sleep last night.” Most of the players he recruited bought into the dream as well, he said. That’s part of why they came to Española.
“They bought into being a part of history,” Huffman said.
Huffman was hired in July as women’s coach, following the hiring of men’s coach and athletic director Enzley Mitchell. Both coaches have scrambled to put together a season schedule on short notice.
“They’re so excited to play for this school, for this community,” Huffman said of his players. “They’re tired of playing against each other.”
The Griffins provided a worthy opponent. Westminster had its best season in school history last year, with a 24-9 record. It has also played in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Division Two tournament for two consecutive years.
Hundreds of Northern fans filled the gym for the opener and roared their approval when their team took the floor. The cheers erupted again when Eagles guard Mariah Simpkins stole the ball from Westminster’s point guard and drove downcourt for a lay-up, to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
The advantage was short-lived. Westminster reeled off 11 unanswered points and then steadily pulled away, getting easy lay-ups and dominating the boards.
“We were not boxing out or following our shots,” Huffman said. “That surprised me because we worked on that.” The crowd stayed behind the Eagles and cheered as Simpkins showed hustle and heart. The junior transfer from Tucson, Ariz. was all over the court.
“She’s a tremendous player,” Huffman said. “She tried to take it all on her shoulders and put the team on her back.”
The Griffins led 47-21 at the halftime break but the crowd kept cheering, even as the lead increased to 69-29. Local favorite Rachel Berryhill, who once played for Española Valley High School, remained tough in the paint. She sank her second basket to start an 8-0 Eagles run — their biggest scoring surge of the game. Peñasco’s Gabby Gonzalez hustled on the floor and the crowd cheered when she was finally able to sink a basket. At game’s end, the score was a slightly more respectable 81-51.
Jessica Thorpe, a transfer from Corona, Calif., led the Eagles with 16 points. Simpkins finished with 11, as did transfer Torreya Evans from Hanford, Calif.
“I learned a lot about my ball club,” Huffman said. “We played in spurts, and we’re still learning to play a full game.”
Huffman said he isn’t worried about team character and leadership.
“It’s a unique situation,” he said. “I have a number of leaders. They’re still developing chemistry and discovering who they are.”
The Eagles faced the Griffins again the following night and shaved a few points off Westminster’s winning margin, falling 81-58. The Eagles travel to Montana State University Friday and Saturday to participate in the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament.
Their next home game will be Feb. 13, 2009 against Johnson and Wales University of Denver, Colo.