FRIDAY DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Seeding and selection reminder:
District tournament championships are the second automatic bid a district receives.
Regular season standings take precedence over district tournament results except in the case of ties in district standings. Head-to-head results can be used from district tournaments and other pre-district regular season meetings to help discern the higher seed.
Fun Fact: Eight of the fifteen district championship games today are between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds.
Alamogordo at Mayfield - District 3-5A
Alamogordo could use a push with a win but it's not exactly a guarantee they can better their seed moving forward. Mayfield is operating at a slim lead in the Maxpreps Rankings in holding their projected 5-seed. A win tonight should help maintain that standing.
Gallup at Kirtland Central - District 1-4A
Gallup could benefit with another win against a district champion, especially if they want to ensure they stay ahead of Pojoaque. KC has a modest lead in the Maxpreps Rankings but it'll take some wild series for them to lose that projected 1-seed.
Artesia at Portales - District 4-4A
A win at Portales won't move them up in the seeding even if it breaks their tie with St. Pius in wins versus district champions. Portales has faired well at the RAC but the last time these two met Artesia had the lead with seconds left before Portales stole the lead back. I think they'll put on another classic tonight with the championship on the line.
Crownpoint at Navajo Prep - District 1-3A
With Crownpoint finally getting their first win this season against Tohatchi in the semifinal upset, they'll have to head to another Eagles' Nest to claim a long-absent district title. Navajo Prep is coming off a dominant win over Thoreau and look to continue their momentum moving forward with a home stand against upset-minded Crownpoint. Keep in mind, Crownpoint has beaten Navajo Prep once this season.
Santa Fe Indian at Robertson - District 2-3A
Round 4 for Santa Fe Indian who still want that win against Robertson. Robertson really can't lose much with a loss but they definitely don't want to say no to new championship hardware. It's tough defeating a team four times in a single season though. I like SFIS' odds in this game even if it's a close loss. Maybe not upset alert but upset watch in this one.
Tularosa at Tucumcari - District 4-3A
It was a close on when this meeting came to Tularosa, but Tucumcari showed why they're ta top-team in 3A. The last time they met in Tucumcari, it was well over in the first half. Tulie will definitely forget that last time and hope to get the last critical upset to claim another district championship.
Newcomb at Dulce - District 1-2A
This could've been the semifinal meeting had Navajo Pine not upset Tse' Yi' Gai. Now, the Lady Skyhawks will get a shot at a district championship under head coach Bill McLaughlin. Dulce will look to claim yet another district tournament title in another district.
Lordsburg at Mescalero Apache - District 3-2A
This one has maybe the most on the line out of all the championships tonight. A Mescalero win will likely keep them in front of Lordsburg in the seeding and selection. A Lordsburg win will bring their head-to-head record to 2-2. With the tie, their respective criteria will be matched and Lordsburg is projected to win that.
Mora at Penasco - District 5-2A
Mora has been on a tear late this season, and despite the seemingly mammoth task of upsetting Penasco, they've at the very least have the opportunity to claim a bid to the state tournament.
Magdalena at Estancia - District 6-2A
This one might be a little closer this time. Magdalena may have found their late March groove and with that, find some momentum into this championship game against a well-coached Estancia team.
Clayton at Texico - District 7-2A
Clayton is another team that may be gaining some steam late. Their dominant road win against Pecos puts them in a position to possibly gain some respect in the coaches' poll to move up their seeding. Texico has nothing to lose or gain in this except another district championship.
Carrizozo at Hondo Valley - District 3-1A
Carrizozo has made quite the run through their tournament with a win at home against the co-op of Corona/Vaughn and then on the road at Mountainair. Now they're one of only two teams tonight not expected to make the tournament with an at-large berth but rather the tournament win berth.
Elida at Tatum - District 4-1A
Tatum swept Elida through their regular season and continue to be one of the most tenacious teams in 1A girls hoops. Elida has fallen off their championship glory days but have still maintained a competitive edge despite having a smaller roster than seasons' passed.
Roy/Mosquero at Cimarron - District 5-1A
The Lady Blues finally got their win against Des Moines after coming up short time and time again this season. They'll get their shot against a quality Cimarron team that blazed their way through the regular season.
Logan at Melrose - District 6-1A
In the fifth game of this series, Logan looks to make an impression to keep their projected high seeding alive. Melrose leads the series this season 3-1 and will likely not expect to lose a critical one this late.
Seeding and selection reminder:
District tournament championships are the second automatic bid a district receives.
Regular season standings take precedence over district tournament results except in the case of ties in district standings. Head-to-head results can be used from district tournaments and other pre-district regular season meetings to help discern the higher seed.
Fun Fact: Eight of the fifteen district championship games today are between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds.
Alamogordo at Mayfield - District 3-5A
Alamogordo could use a push with a win but it's not exactly a guarantee they can better their seed moving forward. Mayfield is operating at a slim lead in the Maxpreps Rankings in holding their projected 5-seed. A win tonight should help maintain that standing.
Gallup at Kirtland Central - District 1-4A
Gallup could benefit with another win against a district champion, especially if they want to ensure they stay ahead of Pojoaque. KC has a modest lead in the Maxpreps Rankings but it'll take some wild series for them to lose that projected 1-seed.
Artesia at Portales - District 4-4A
A win at Portales won't move them up in the seeding even if it breaks their tie with St. Pius in wins versus district champions. Portales has faired well at the RAC but the last time these two met Artesia had the lead with seconds left before Portales stole the lead back. I think they'll put on another classic tonight with the championship on the line.
Crownpoint at Navajo Prep - District 1-3A
With Crownpoint finally getting their first win this season against Tohatchi in the semifinal upset, they'll have to head to another Eagles' Nest to claim a long-absent district title. Navajo Prep is coming off a dominant win over Thoreau and look to continue their momentum moving forward with a home stand against upset-minded Crownpoint. Keep in mind, Crownpoint has beaten Navajo Prep once this season.
Santa Fe Indian at Robertson - District 2-3A
Round 4 for Santa Fe Indian who still want that win against Robertson. Robertson really can't lose much with a loss but they definitely don't want to say no to new championship hardware. It's tough defeating a team four times in a single season though. I like SFIS' odds in this game even if it's a close loss. Maybe not upset alert but upset watch in this one.
Tularosa at Tucumcari - District 4-3A
It was a close on when this meeting came to Tularosa, but Tucumcari showed why they're ta top-team in 3A. The last time they met in Tucumcari, it was well over in the first half. Tulie will definitely forget that last time and hope to get the last critical upset to claim another district championship.
Newcomb at Dulce - District 1-2A
This could've been the semifinal meeting had Navajo Pine not upset Tse' Yi' Gai. Now, the Lady Skyhawks will get a shot at a district championship under head coach Bill McLaughlin. Dulce will look to claim yet another district tournament title in another district.
Lordsburg at Mescalero Apache - District 3-2A
This one has maybe the most on the line out of all the championships tonight. A Mescalero win will likely keep them in front of Lordsburg in the seeding and selection. A Lordsburg win will bring their head-to-head record to 2-2. With the tie, their respective criteria will be matched and Lordsburg is projected to win that.
Mora at Penasco - District 5-2A
Mora has been on a tear late this season, and despite the seemingly mammoth task of upsetting Penasco, they've at the very least have the opportunity to claim a bid to the state tournament.
Magdalena at Estancia - District 6-2A
This one might be a little closer this time. Magdalena may have found their late March groove and with that, find some momentum into this championship game against a well-coached Estancia team.
Clayton at Texico - District 7-2A
Clayton is another team that may be gaining some steam late. Their dominant road win against Pecos puts them in a position to possibly gain some respect in the coaches' poll to move up their seeding. Texico has nothing to lose or gain in this except another district championship.
Carrizozo at Hondo Valley - District 3-1A
Carrizozo has made quite the run through their tournament with a win at home against the co-op of Corona/Vaughn and then on the road at Mountainair. Now they're one of only two teams tonight not expected to make the tournament with an at-large berth but rather the tournament win berth.
Elida at Tatum - District 4-1A
Tatum swept Elida through their regular season and continue to be one of the most tenacious teams in 1A girls hoops. Elida has fallen off their championship glory days but have still maintained a competitive edge despite having a smaller roster than seasons' passed.
Roy/Mosquero at Cimarron - District 5-1A
The Lady Blues finally got their win against Des Moines after coming up short time and time again this season. They'll get their shot against a quality Cimarron team that blazed their way through the regular season.
Logan at Melrose - District 6-1A
In the fifth game of this series, Logan looks to make an impression to keep their projected high seeding alive. Melrose leads the series this season 3-1 and will likely not expect to lose a critical one this late.
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