Here’s a rundown of all sixteen teams in the bracket for the 2017 New Mexico High School basketball state tournament.
No. 1 Hobbs Lady Eagles (Record 27-1)
Fascinating what can happen in a year’s time as Hobbs was entering last year’s tournament as the 9-seed at 12-13 to today’s number one team in the state with only one loss. Newly hired head coach, Joe Carpenter has done quite the quick turnaround in less than a year after leading Roswell to win their first state championship. Hobbs has quite the storm of rising talent in Amaya Lewis, Payton O’Brain, and Kiara Knight.
No. 2 Carlsbad Cavegirls (Record 27-3)
It’s not the district finish they wanted, but Carlsbad remained atop 6A’s battlefield for the better part of the season. Yet, they’re still very much a title contender especially at the 2-seed. Coach Zumbrun is hoping to get his program into Carlsbad’s first state championship appearance with the likes of Mariel Gomez, Kim Best, and sophomore sensation Carsyn Boswell.
No. 3 West Mesa Lady Mustangs (Record 24-1)
This young hoops squad has been the talk of the town in the metro area. Coached by Manny Otero, the Lady Mustangs made some serious noise this season with big wins over the likes of Hope Christian, Eldorado, and Cibola. They’ll be led by Maiah Rivas, Emily Burk, and Jennifer Martinez. Sophomore guard Esperanza Varoz suffered an injury a few weeks back and her status remains questionable for the state tournament.
No. 4 Las Cruces Lady Bulldawgs (Record 19-8)
The Lady Bulldawgs round out the top four and had one of their most successful seasons to date. Coach Abney has been at Las Cruces for well over a decade now and this may be one of his most balanced teams. Despite losing one of their key contributors, the Lady Bulldawgs have from others to help carry the scoring load. They’ll be led by Sarah Abney, Valeria Valtierra, and Nikki Aragon.
No. 5 La Cueva Lady Bears (Record 17-8)
After claiming their fourth district title in the last five years, La Cueva looks to extend their winning ways into the postseason. A disappointing end to the district tournament and their lone loss to rival Eldorado may have spoiled a perfect district season but La Cueva is still one of those teams who can find ways to win tough games. They’ll be led by 5’8” Delaney Markham, Brooke Nelson, and Noir Hawash.
No. 6 Eldorado Lady Eagles (Record 19-6)
It’s been an interesting two years at the Eldorado girls basketball program, but with some consistency this year, they’ve been able to be one of the top teams to contend with. The Lady Eagles came up just shy of a district title this year but throughout the season they’ve been in the talks of contending for the state title. Eldorado will look to Fort Lewis College commit Sydney Candelaria to help lead the Lady Eagles through the tournament.
No. 7 Sandia Lady Matadors (Record 23-5)
From a last year’s 12-15 finish to entering the state tournament this year at 23-5, Sandia is one of the top turnaround teams this season. Head coach Lee Kettig has led his team to some key wins most notably against district opponent La Cueva who they defeated for the district tournament title (only the second time since February 2013 Sandia has defeated the Lady Bears). Sandia also snapped an 18-game losing skid dating back to February 2011 against Eldorado this season. The Lady Matadors are led by senior standout, Cara Liggins, junior Marisol Silva, and sophomore Sapirah Broussard.
No. 8 Rio Rancho Lady Rams (Record 17-11)
Not many would’ve picked Rio Rancho to win their district especially after a dismal 2-5 start heading into the final days of December. But since the start of January, Rio Rancho would go 12-6 with much credit to their head coach Scott Peterson and the talents of 6’2” junior post Kamirah Decker. Be sure to keep an eye on the talents of Laura Gutierrez, Camryn Hawkins, and Lexi Peterson.
No. 9 Volcano Vista Lady Hawks (Record 16-10)
Coming off a championship season and graduating three key starters, Volcano Vista grinded out district play and were able to clinch a share of the district title with Rio Rancho. Led by the sharp shooting talents and poise of senior guard Melissa Mancha, the Lady Hawks are still a real threat, but they’ll have to get play Rio Rancho for a fourth time this season. Along with Mancha, Volcano Vista will look for contributions from Jayden Chischillie and Mariana Baros.
No. 10 Cibola Lady Cougars (Record 18-9)
Unfortunate off-season injuries to Amaya Brown and Corbyn Cunningham led to numerous Lady Cougars having to pick up the scoring and rebounding load. That may come to benefit Cibola as they’ll head into the tournament with both players likely able to play. Cibola guard Kavionnia Brown has helped lead the team and she’ll receive help from Tiana Guillory, and rising freshman Adamari Waddell.
No. 11 Mayfield Lady Trojans (Record 15-11)
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Lady Trojans who finished their season with double-digit losses, a first since the 2009-10 season. Still, longtime head coach George Maya has been able to get his team key wins this season to position themselves well enough for a state title run. Mayfield will be anchored by University of Portland commit, Jayce Gorzeman who is averaging nearly 21 points and 7 boards per game this season.
No. 12 Centennial Lady Hawks (Record 14-12)
It’s been a fairly solid season for the Lady Hawks, especially since it’s their first season in Class 6A. Under head coach Lori Selby, Centennial hasn’t had a losing season yet. Unfortunately for the Lady Hawks this season’s trend has been “almost” for the Hawks. They’ve managed to stay close and compete with top teams (e.g. Roswell, Hobbs, Carlsbad) but failed to close out those games with wins. But that level of competitiveness and steady play from the likes of shooter Brooklyn Calderazzo and post Rylee Meloy have kept the Lady Hawks in games. Keep an eye on junior Kaela Chavez as well for the Lady Hawks.
No. 13. Highland Lady Hornets (Record 16-10)
Arguably the best turnaround team of the season the Highland’s Lady Hornets are making their first tournament appearance since 2012. Under second year head coach Lonnie Neal, the Lady Hornets more than doubled their wins from last season and finished second in district where they swept nearly all their opponents (except West Mesa) and set some new school records along the way. The rising Highland squad is led by 6’0” Esperanza Crespin and 6’1” sophomore Brooklyn Crawford.
No. 14 Onate Lady Knights (Record 9-18)
It’s been three years since the Lady Knights have made a state tournament appearance. This team has come close to stealing games against top teams like La Cueva, Academy, and Rio Rancho. In the first round of their district tournament Onate found some success as they lit up perennial district contender Mayfield for a big win. Onate will look to the two guard combo of Jayden Perez and Kayla Nicolas.
No. 15 Atrisco Heritage Lady Jaguars (Record 12-15)
For the second year in a row Atrisco Heritage found themselves as the 15-seed heading into the state tournament. With only four seniors on the roster, the Lady Jaguars are fairly young. They’ll look to junior guard Angelica Talamante in their first round matchup in Carlsbad.
No. 16 Santa Fe Demonettes (Record 11-16)
A regular district season sweep of Clovis helped the Demonettes clinch fourth place in district and an at-large bid for the final seed in this year’s state tournament. Coached by Lanse Carter, the Demonettes will look to Adonica Baca-Martinez and sophomore Taylor Salazar to carry Santa Fe against Hobbs.
No. 1 Hobbs Lady Eagles (Record 27-1)
Fascinating what can happen in a year’s time as Hobbs was entering last year’s tournament as the 9-seed at 12-13 to today’s number one team in the state with only one loss. Newly hired head coach, Joe Carpenter has done quite the quick turnaround in less than a year after leading Roswell to win their first state championship. Hobbs has quite the storm of rising talent in Amaya Lewis, Payton O’Brain, and Kiara Knight.
No. 2 Carlsbad Cavegirls (Record 27-3)
It’s not the district finish they wanted, but Carlsbad remained atop 6A’s battlefield for the better part of the season. Yet, they’re still very much a title contender especially at the 2-seed. Coach Zumbrun is hoping to get his program into Carlsbad’s first state championship appearance with the likes of Mariel Gomez, Kim Best, and sophomore sensation Carsyn Boswell.
No. 3 West Mesa Lady Mustangs (Record 24-1)
This young hoops squad has been the talk of the town in the metro area. Coached by Manny Otero, the Lady Mustangs made some serious noise this season with big wins over the likes of Hope Christian, Eldorado, and Cibola. They’ll be led by Maiah Rivas, Emily Burk, and Jennifer Martinez. Sophomore guard Esperanza Varoz suffered an injury a few weeks back and her status remains questionable for the state tournament.
No. 4 Las Cruces Lady Bulldawgs (Record 19-8)
The Lady Bulldawgs round out the top four and had one of their most successful seasons to date. Coach Abney has been at Las Cruces for well over a decade now and this may be one of his most balanced teams. Despite losing one of their key contributors, the Lady Bulldawgs have from others to help carry the scoring load. They’ll be led by Sarah Abney, Valeria Valtierra, and Nikki Aragon.
No. 5 La Cueva Lady Bears (Record 17-8)
After claiming their fourth district title in the last five years, La Cueva looks to extend their winning ways into the postseason. A disappointing end to the district tournament and their lone loss to rival Eldorado may have spoiled a perfect district season but La Cueva is still one of those teams who can find ways to win tough games. They’ll be led by 5’8” Delaney Markham, Brooke Nelson, and Noir Hawash.
No. 6 Eldorado Lady Eagles (Record 19-6)
It’s been an interesting two years at the Eldorado girls basketball program, but with some consistency this year, they’ve been able to be one of the top teams to contend with. The Lady Eagles came up just shy of a district title this year but throughout the season they’ve been in the talks of contending for the state title. Eldorado will look to Fort Lewis College commit Sydney Candelaria to help lead the Lady Eagles through the tournament.
No. 7 Sandia Lady Matadors (Record 23-5)
From a last year’s 12-15 finish to entering the state tournament this year at 23-5, Sandia is one of the top turnaround teams this season. Head coach Lee Kettig has led his team to some key wins most notably against district opponent La Cueva who they defeated for the district tournament title (only the second time since February 2013 Sandia has defeated the Lady Bears). Sandia also snapped an 18-game losing skid dating back to February 2011 against Eldorado this season. The Lady Matadors are led by senior standout, Cara Liggins, junior Marisol Silva, and sophomore Sapirah Broussard.
No. 8 Rio Rancho Lady Rams (Record 17-11)
Not many would’ve picked Rio Rancho to win their district especially after a dismal 2-5 start heading into the final days of December. But since the start of January, Rio Rancho would go 12-6 with much credit to their head coach Scott Peterson and the talents of 6’2” junior post Kamirah Decker. Be sure to keep an eye on the talents of Laura Gutierrez, Camryn Hawkins, and Lexi Peterson.
No. 9 Volcano Vista Lady Hawks (Record 16-10)
Coming off a championship season and graduating three key starters, Volcano Vista grinded out district play and were able to clinch a share of the district title with Rio Rancho. Led by the sharp shooting talents and poise of senior guard Melissa Mancha, the Lady Hawks are still a real threat, but they’ll have to get play Rio Rancho for a fourth time this season. Along with Mancha, Volcano Vista will look for contributions from Jayden Chischillie and Mariana Baros.
No. 10 Cibola Lady Cougars (Record 18-9)
Unfortunate off-season injuries to Amaya Brown and Corbyn Cunningham led to numerous Lady Cougars having to pick up the scoring and rebounding load. That may come to benefit Cibola as they’ll head into the tournament with both players likely able to play. Cibola guard Kavionnia Brown has helped lead the team and she’ll receive help from Tiana Guillory, and rising freshman Adamari Waddell.
No. 11 Mayfield Lady Trojans (Record 15-11)
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Lady Trojans who finished their season with double-digit losses, a first since the 2009-10 season. Still, longtime head coach George Maya has been able to get his team key wins this season to position themselves well enough for a state title run. Mayfield will be anchored by University of Portland commit, Jayce Gorzeman who is averaging nearly 21 points and 7 boards per game this season.
No. 12 Centennial Lady Hawks (Record 14-12)
It’s been a fairly solid season for the Lady Hawks, especially since it’s their first season in Class 6A. Under head coach Lori Selby, Centennial hasn’t had a losing season yet. Unfortunately for the Lady Hawks this season’s trend has been “almost” for the Hawks. They’ve managed to stay close and compete with top teams (e.g. Roswell, Hobbs, Carlsbad) but failed to close out those games with wins. But that level of competitiveness and steady play from the likes of shooter Brooklyn Calderazzo and post Rylee Meloy have kept the Lady Hawks in games. Keep an eye on junior Kaela Chavez as well for the Lady Hawks.
No. 13. Highland Lady Hornets (Record 16-10)
Arguably the best turnaround team of the season the Highland’s Lady Hornets are making their first tournament appearance since 2012. Under second year head coach Lonnie Neal, the Lady Hornets more than doubled their wins from last season and finished second in district where they swept nearly all their opponents (except West Mesa) and set some new school records along the way. The rising Highland squad is led by 6’0” Esperanza Crespin and 6’1” sophomore Brooklyn Crawford.
No. 14 Onate Lady Knights (Record 9-18)
It’s been three years since the Lady Knights have made a state tournament appearance. This team has come close to stealing games against top teams like La Cueva, Academy, and Rio Rancho. In the first round of their district tournament Onate found some success as they lit up perennial district contender Mayfield for a big win. Onate will look to the two guard combo of Jayden Perez and Kayla Nicolas.
No. 15 Atrisco Heritage Lady Jaguars (Record 12-15)
For the second year in a row Atrisco Heritage found themselves as the 15-seed heading into the state tournament. With only four seniors on the roster, the Lady Jaguars are fairly young. They’ll look to junior guard Angelica Talamante in their first round matchup in Carlsbad.
No. 16 Santa Fe Demonettes (Record 11-16)
A regular district season sweep of Clovis helped the Demonettes clinch fourth place in district and an at-large bid for the final seed in this year’s state tournament. Coached by Lanse Carter, the Demonettes will look to Adonica Baca-Martinez and sophomore Taylor Salazar to carry Santa Fe against Hobbs.
