Manny Diaz now named HC.

I always though Richt did a great job but just went quiet in November/December.

Post game thoughts here.

Who played well? Resume Builders? Etc.

CFB: Who Wins - Notre Dame vs Clemson

2PM ESPN

Did you like the new alignment this year?

FRIDAY

Griego and Sons in Clovis

Clovis 77, St. Michael's 48

Volcano Vista 63, EP-Cathedral TX 41

Poe Corn Invite in Roswell

Fort Sumner 60, Los Alamos 55

Gallup 74, Goddard 59

Roswell 97, Artesia 64

Hobbs Holiday Tournament

Cleveland 78, EP Andress TX 36

EP Canutillo TX 62, Shiprock 35

Hobbs 80, West Mesa 70

Stu Clark Invitational

Bernalillo 67, Robertson-JV 27

Pecos 83, Mora 59

St. Pius 50, Robertson 45

Taos 83, West Las Vegas 59

Village of Los Lunas Tournament

Alamogordo 74, Kirtland Central 53

Los Lunas 54, Cibola 27

Santa Fe 70, Phoenix-Central, AZ 59

Las Cruces Hoopla Tournament

EP Coronado TX 74, Mayfield 62

Onate 51, EP Montwood TX 47

Las Cruces 62, Centennial 49

Other

Tulia, TX 63, Portales 56

Post top performances and stat lines here for Week Five

Heading into a new week of hoops what do you know?

It's been 42 days or just over 1000 hours since the start of the season.

What impressions or observations do you have on the season? Teams? Players? Coaches?

It's a short week but post any and all Week Five scores here.

What are the thoughts on this? Disaster in the making if you ask me. Has ties to the Maryland program but he has not done well as a head coach.

Favorite Christmas Song

And Movie

Cody French, #12 DB (Goddard/Arizona State) - Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl

Keshawn Banks, #57 DL (Rio Rancho/San Diego State) - DXL Frisco Bowl
Jordan Byrd, #15 RB/KR (Manzano/San Diego State) - DXL Frisco Bowl

Desmond Branch, #99 DT (Cleveland/Georgia Tech) - Quick Lane Bowl

Monroe Young, #86 WR (Oñate/California) - Cheez-It Bowl

Grant Hermanns, #78 OT (Rio Rancho/Purdue) - Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl

Henry Hattis, #78 OT (Cleveland/Stanford) - Hyundai Sun Bowl

Zach Gentry, #83 TE (Eldorado/Michigan) - Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
O'Maury Samuels, #23 RB (Los Lunas/ Michigan) - Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Who advances to the Championship game?

and why? What makes them special?

Any teams still help with travel expenses?

Who are you buying and selling heading into the new year?

Which teams do you have heading into the new year?

Which team(s) have you seen that have impressed you so far this season?

An all tournament edition of Saturday Swish is here with some key matchups you need to make note of for your early weekend. Let me know what you're looking forward to for Saturday hoops and where you'll be watching.

Hobbs Holiday Tournament Championship

(5A) #2 Hobbs vs. (4A) #2 Kirtland Central

Both teams boast a lot of depth with quality rotations coming out. Both teams have a number of players that can play lights out on a given night. Both teams are fairly balanced in their scoring across the roster. But I think Hobbs (10-1) just boasts too much length and athleticism. Eighth grader Wisdom Anthony has had a solid outing through much of the month for Hobbs along with Amiah Smith. They're playing at home and have been tested for much of this early season. You could say Kirtland (9-2) has some similarities but nowhere near the size and speed of Hobbs. It might be interesting, and KC plays well against the type of team Hobbs is. The test is on the defensive end which I don't think KC has matchup-wise.

Looking Forward To: Matchup between Hobbs' Ayanna Smith and Kirtland's Siigrid Lii'bilnaghahi


Village of Los Lunas Tournament Championship

(4A) #3 Los Lunas vs. (4A) #6 Gallup

An oldie but a goodie. These former district rivals have some history and to be able to meet in the tournament title game might definitely be a preview of what's to come in March. Gallup (7-2) is 10-11 dating back to November 2006 versus Los Lunas. The Lady Bengals have lost two straight and are looking for their first win against the Lady Tigers since January 2016. Gallup has apparently been getting back around to playing with a solid rotation, but this Los Lunas team is a test. Los Lunas (6-3) plays some of the best defense in the class, and execute soundly in the full court off turnovers and long missed threes. If Gallup wants a chance, they'll need to dictate their pace and that develops off their ability to create turnovers. It'll be easier said than done as this Los Lunas team doesn't make too many mistakes. Get there early!

Looking Forward To: District/State tournament atmosphere with both fanbases getting into the game. Also, Gallup's Amanda Mitchel hitting long bombs from the arc.


Plateau Holiday Tournament Championship

(5A) #11 Piedra Vista vs. (5A) #12 Farmington

Both teams had to travel 400 miles to have their first pre-district meeting. The new-old school rivals have had a really one-sided rivalry with Piedra Vista (10-2) owning a 25-8 record against Farmington (10-1) dating back to December 2006 which includes a current six-game winning streak for PV. I wasn't entirely impressed with Farmington's outing when they faced Cleveland, but in this familiar matchup, they've got a great shot on a neutral court. Plus, Piedra Vista doesn't have anyone to matchup effectively with Farmington's Jordan Vasquez. But again, the Lady Scorps will have to contend with the relentless pressure defense of the Lady Panthers. A little weird for the two schools to meet 400 miles away from home for an 11:30 in the morning championship game, but it should still be some quality play.

Looking Forward To: Piedra Vista's Shiprock transfers Lanae Billy and Tiontai Woods seeing their former Lady Chieftain head coach Larenson Henderson across the way coaching in Farmington green.


Las Cruces Public Schools Holiday Hoopla Championship

(5A) #1 West Mesa vs. (5A) #8 Mayfield

It'll be their first meeting possibly ever. West Mesa's (8-0) recent success has paved the way to shake up some of the old guard in the state's girls hoops. Getting the opportunity to face a storied program like Mayfield (9-3) is something West Mesa may end up checking off their program's "To-Do" list. Both programs haven't met at least in the Maxpreps' recorded history going back to 2006. Now, it's Mayfield looking up at West Mesa. Mayfield has proven to be capable of playing some quality defense against guard heavy rotations, but have yet to claim that statement win against the state's best. West Mesa has been on a tear through much of 5A and have played not just well against them but on the road as well. Mayfield will need a big game from more than just Alize Ruiz and Alyssa Madrid. If Mayfield can stay out of foul trouble and maintain a scoring rhythm with West Mesa, they could get the upset at home.

Looking Forward To: An upset watch alert at any point in the game. Even if it's 0-0 and the ball just got tipped.


Goddard Holiday Classic Championship

(4A) #5 Miyamura vs. EP-Franklin (TX)

If you think about it Miyamura (8-3) hasn't lost a bad game. They've played Piedra Vista twice and played them well both times (both losses). Their other lone loss is to the top 4A team Pojoaque Valley, but that was a game were they were getting outplayed til a big second half spurred them back into the game to tie it with PV. No bad losses, and they're right here playing a really good Franklin team out of El Paso. A win here would be HUGE for Miyamura even against an out-of-state opponent (wins versus DCs still apply to out-of-state opponents). And with the team getting some help from the likes of Malia Ukestine that takes the scoring burden off of Autumn Enote and Odessa Begay they'll be a team to reckon with.

Looking Forward To: Miyamura defeating a 16-3 Franklin team and putting 4A on notice.


Also Consider...

#10 Rio Rancho vs. #9 Centennial
A rematch of the Rio Rancho Invitational championship that Centennial (7-4) lost by ten to Rio Rancho (6-3) but was plagued by poor shooting and turnovers. Hopefully this time around Centennial will find Rio Rancho's Laura Gutierrez early whereas last time they met Gutierrez lit them up for 15 first half points.

#17 Las Cruces vs. #15 Onate
Another great pre-district showdown. Las Cruces (6-6) is young and inexperienced so I think for Onate (6-6) this is a great opportunity to end that 20-game losing streak to the Lady Bulldawgs. More offensive weapons for Onate in Sydney Hobbs and Estrella Avalos. Las Cruces will need a big game from more than Christina Aguayo to hold off the Lady Knights.

Per Region or School

Read: https://nmpreps.rivals.com/news/hoops-daily-dimes-thursday-december-27th

Let's skate right into this edition of a snowy Friday Fastbreak. What matchups are you looking forward to today? And wherever you're heading out to today, please drive safely and stay warm.

Alamogordo vs. Los Lunas
Alamogordo (8-1) has been lying in the middle of the pack of 6A but has yet to earn a big win against a winning 6A team. Los Lunas (6-3) is returning back to form after a seemingly dominant win against Artesia in the first round of their tournament. Keep an eye on Alamogordo's Faith Silva who dropped 22 points on Shiprock yesterday. Los Lunas has a number of scoring options on the floor at any time, but do keep an eye on Jaidyn Schollander and Natalie Jojola.

Farmington vs. Los Alamos
Quite the win for Los Alamos (3-6) as yet again Clovis (3-6) couldn't defend homecourt against a smaller school opponent (Texico). Los Alamos was led by a triumvirate offensive effort by Rebecca Green, Natalie Gallegos, and Alex Calderon. Farmington (9-1) dominated Borger fairly easily as the group effort was led by Jordan Vasquez and Kiiyani Anitielu. If Los Alamos can handle the Farmington defense and use their height effectively again, they'll find their way to the tournament title game.

Mayfield vs. Rio Rancho
Mayfield (8-3) might be one of the most polished defensive teams I've watched in 5A this season. Still, they'll have to handle one of the better guard combos in Rio Rancho's (6-2) Gutierrez and Chavez. Mayfield is led by combo guard Alize Ruiz, an all effort guard who most of the time doesn't need to create her own shot with the way Mayfield runs their offense. It'll be an interesting clash as Mayfield does superb disrupting opposing offenses and making them play far from the hoop.

Centennial vs. West Mesa
On the other end of the LCPS bracket is this gem of a matchup. Centennial (7-3) has survived again and again and stayed competitive in about every game they've played this season. This game will be a great measuring stick to see where they are and where they'll need to be for March. So far the Lady Hawks have relied heavily on the interior play of Dianne Hefner and it's been effective. But West Mesa (7-0) is a completely different team than they've seen before. Plenty of transition opportunities and perimeter play from a smaller but faster West Mesa team.

Goddard vs. Miyamura
A rare 4A matchup as Goddard (7-3) gets set to play a dynamic and quick Miyamura (7-3) team. A win helps either team set themselves apart from the Top 8 pack of 4A contenders. Goddard is looking more like the district champions they could potentially be. Miyamura is trying to build a resume of wins against any quality opponent. Bailey Beene and PJ Villareal will once again lead the Lady Rockets. Autumn Enote and Odessa Begay will do their part to seal the win.

Pecos vs. Espanola Valley
Both teams racked up 70+ points in their first game of the tournament but the baskets could come at a premium in this matchup. Pecos (7-2) is one of the top teams in a top heavy 2A and while averaging 50 points per game they've manage to hold teams to nearly 30 points allowed per game. The Lady Panthers are led by a steller senior guard in Cassaundra Muller and the solid contributions of fellow senior Brittney Martinez. Espanola Valley (6-5) looks to be back on track after an up and down December. They're led by Kaylinn Martinez, Kaylee Chavez, and guard Miranda Salazar.