Mesa Vista Fans Receive a Strike for Poor Behavior
In a Monday Facebook post, the Mesa Vista School District announced that it had received a “strike” from the New Mexico Activities Association for their fans behavior during the Jan. 17 girls basketball game at Pecos.
“Regrettably, there were instances of unruly behavior exhibited by some Mesa Vista parents and fans during the event,” Superintendent Marvin MacAuley wrote in the release. “This behavior was directed at the Pecos High School administration and security, creating an atmosphere that goes against the values we hold and is not representative of our community.
Team coach Jesse Boies shared the post, writing “We gotta be better”.
Trojan fans were vocally upset about calls made by the two referees late in the team’s loss, and appeared to take out their frustations on Pecos administrators.
In accordance with the new NMAA two-strike rule, should the school receive a second strike during the winter season, the school will have to forfeit the remainder of the season.
“Examples of egregious unsportsmanlike conduct by participants, coaches, or spectators include but are not limited to, fans entering the playing surface to engage in acts of violence or abuse, constant verbal attacks on officials, attacking other fans, coaches physically or verbally attacking officials, players fighting other players during post game handshakes, or student sections verbally chanting inappropriate or demeaning comments towards individuals, teams, or officials,” the NMAA wrote in an Aug. 2023 release.
Northern Teams Strong in Conference Play
Northern New Mexico College’s Mya Williams was named the Continental Athletic Conference player of the week after the Lady Eagles won both of their conference games over the weekend.
Williams made 57.1 percent of her 3-point attempts in two games.
The Lady Eagles won 90-81 over College of the Ozarks on Jan. 19, as the team shot 14-for-29 percent on 3-pointers. Northern led 29-14 after the first quarter and by as many as 30 points in the third quarter, holding off a late charge. Briana Marquez scored 22 points and shot 8-for-11 in the game.
They then defeated Haskell Indian Nations 75-63, led by Williams’ 16 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Briana Marquez scored 12, and Ruth Sodipe had 11 points and eight rebounds. A 27-7 third-quarter advantage was the difference in the game, with Northern leading by 27 in the fourth quarter.
The men’s team won once and lost once at the games played in Lawrence, Kan. They defeated College of the Ozarks 62-59 on Jan. 19, defending a last-second 3-pointer. Northern led by 17 with eight minutes remaining. Joziah Ramos led the team with 16 points, while Northern shot just 2-for-12 from deep.
The next day, they lost 84-68 to Haskell, despite 23 points from Ramos and 14 points from Nigel Quaynor. Northern trailed by two points at halftime, but the Fighting Indians took charge in the second half.
Trojans on a Win Streak
The Trojans (11-4) have now won nine straight games after a 2-4 start to the year. Last week, they defeated Pecos (11-7), the defending state champions, on the Panthers’ home court.
Mesa Vista won out 55-48 in a defensive battle where they managed to slow down Pecos’ fast-paced offense, holding top player Joshua Gonzales scoreless. Jordan Gallegos led the Trojans with 16 points, and Salvador Saavedra added 13.
The last time the Panthers had lost at home to a team in their own classification was in 2016.
The Trojans also scored wins last week over Evangel Christian/Oak Grove (5-8) 62-52 and over Jemez Valley (4-8) 74-33.
Their next game comes at McCurdy on Thursday to start conference play.