Española boys searching for win
The Sundevils (0-5) struggled through the Bobby Rodriguez Capital City tournament, going 0-3 over the weekend and remaining winless on the year.
Española Valley lost to Santa Fe High (2-1) 59-40 in the first round; they led 32-29 at halftime but were outscored 30-8 in the second half.
They lost 61-55 to district rival Los Alamos (2-2) after being tied entering the fourth quarter. And on Dec. 3, they lost 55-53 to Fairfax (1-7; in Laveen, Ariz.). St. Michael’s (4-0) went on to win the tournament.
Española will look for a win at Capital High School’s Al Armendariz tournament this weekend, with a first-round game against Aztec (0-3).
Escalante teams take third
Both Escalante basketball teams placed third in the Chieftain Invitational tournament over the weekend in Shiprock.
The Lady Lobos (3-1) beat the host Chieftains (1-3) 54-37 in the third-place game, taking a 32-21 lead at halftime before the pace slowed. They posted a strong win over 4A team Bloomfield (3-1) in the first round, 38-35, led by 22 points and eight steals from Brycelyn Martinez. They lost their semifinal game 60-39 to Navajo Prep (4-0).
After Clayton lost to Tatum this week, the Lady Lobos rose to the top spot of the New Mexico Overtime coaches 2A poll.
The Escalante boys (2-2) played strong over the weekend against larger schools, with a big 61-26 win over Shiprock (2-2) in the third-place game. They beat Wingate (1-3) 58-52 in the first round, and lost 67-51 in the semifinal to Bloomfield (3-1).
Both teams will play at Pecos on Saturday, especially a challenge for the boys teams, as the Panthers are among state champion favorites.
Española girls working on shooting
The Sundevils (1-4) won their first-round game in overtime by taking down St. Michael’s (3-2) at the Bobby Rodriguez Capital City Tournament on Dec. 1. Rhianna Padilla scored 11 points, and Alicia Chavez added 10 in the win, despite the team shooting 4-for-23 from deep.
Shooting woes are the story of the year so far for the Sundevils, who have hit just 13 percent of their 3-point attempts, and a 24 percent total field-goal rate.
Española lost their tournament semifinal game 64-47 to Cleveland (2-3), and 43-24 to Valley (2-3). Valencia (6-1) were the tournament champions.
Jaramillo leads Coronado to a win
The Leopards (1-2) notched their first win since April 2021, and their second since February 2020, in taking down Hozho Academy (0-1) 46-15 on Dec. 3.
It was the first game in program history in the Wolves, whose high school newly opened this year. The team only has freshmen and eighth-graders; the school website says they are adding one new grade per year until 2026.
Junior Ashlynn Jaramillo piled on 29 points in the game — 63 percent of the team’s total. She averages 22 points through three games so far this season.
Coronado did not have a season in 2021-22 with insufficient numbers, and they played just three games in spring 2021 in a COVID-shortened season.