Quick Announcement
I know I said I'd have the 2A and 1A out yesterday but with the three key playoff games tonight plus the new coaches poll and Maxpreps' rankings that came out this morning I thought it'd be best to wait and have the most accurate and updated look tomorrow morning for ALL five classes.
Especially considering a number of 1A teams have wins against Lordsburg and a few 2A and 3A teams with wins against Mescalero Apache. Not to mention the benefactors of whoever gets the wins against Loving OR Jal after tonight across the board. The impact may not be earth-shattering but it's effect may shift a few teams up or down a spot.
Notable Monday Results
In the first playoff of the week, Hobbs jumped out to an early lead on Carlsbad and although C-Bad rallied a few times in the second half, they ultimately couldn't overcome the poor first quarter they had. Hobbs won, 54-36 to claim the regular season title and the number one seed in the district tournament championship.
In other district tournament news, Las Cruces STUNNED Centennial, 44-39 and advance to play Alamogordo who defeated Gadsden, 54-24. Onate held off Deming to also advance to face Mayfield on Wednesday.
Shiprock was eliminated while Miyamura kept their playoff hopes alive after an overtime win at home against Aztec. Miyamura is on the outside looking in and their only way to get in the state tournament is to win the district tournament.
In a make-up game from Saturday, Des Moines defeated Roy/Mosquero, 40-39 to claim second place in district outright. Roy/Mosquero will play Maxwell in the first round of the district tournament later this afternoon.
Monday's Top Players
Las Cruces' Christina Aguayo led with 20 points in the district tournament win over Centennial.
Kaliyah Montoya led Carlsbad with 14 points in their loss against Hobbs.
Hobbs' 8th grade star Wisdom Anthony led with 12 points against Carlsbad while senior guard, Amiah Smith chipped in 11 points of her own in the win.
Faith Silva led Alamogordo with 16 points in their win over Gadsden.
Key Games Tonight
Lordsburg vs. Mescalero Apache (Playoff)
Both teams will travel to Las Cruces to decide who gets the top spot in district and host the tournament championship. Both teams split their games with the home team coming away with wins in each. Now on a neutral floor we'll see what both teams can do in preparation for their March run.
Volcano Vista vs. Rio Rancho (Playoff)
Atrisco Heritage will host this playoff for first early this evening at 5:30PM. Rio Rancho had to climb from a double-digit deficit and needed a Gutierrez three-ball 5-feet off the three-point line to steal their last meeting. I would normally write off Rio Rancho given the circumstances around their last win, but they continued their tough play through their final games. It might be another close one.
Loving vs. Jal (Playoff)
Hobbs will play host to this playoff game that almost wasn't. Regardless of shady district decisions, this one should be a close competitive game as nearly all the district games have been this season. Loving swept Jal but the last time, needed a go-ahead basket with 7 seconds left to steal the game away from Jal. It'll be a tough one tonight but at least Loving gets the opportunity to play for first place.
Don't Miss...
La Cueva at Farmington - Regardless of this game's result La Cueva will have to be seeded behind Farmington. A Farmington win combined with a Volcano Vista loss should help them move up a spot in the projections.
Moriarty at Espanola Valley - The last time these two met Moriarty made it uncomfortably close. Both teams are well-coached, and it'll come down to if Espanola can guard that interior against Brooke Burch.
West Las Vegas at St. Michael's - Key head-to-head game here as both teams split the regular season. The winner will likely be seeded ahead of the other. West has the advantage for now, but a St. Michael's win will give them a 3-3 tie and the H2H going to the Lady Horsemen.
Capital at Santa Fe - Santa Fe swept their in-city rival and look to do more of the same. Although both teams are likely not making the state tournament, it should feed the rekindled rivalry heading into next season, especially if the youthful Demonettes get the sweep for this season.
Lovington at Goddard - Lovington stole the win against Goddard when the Lady Rockets couldn't get their final shot to fall. Goddard has a a solid argument to make the state tournament field, so it's really Lovington who wants to keep their postseason hopes alive. This one might be close early, but Goddard will definitely make adjustments at home.
Belen at Grants - Grants has made a splash this district season and hope to continue their success through their district tournament. Belen has dropped off substantially late this season but if they're wanting a state tournament bid, they'll have to first upset second place Grants.
I know I said I'd have the 2A and 1A out yesterday but with the three key playoff games tonight plus the new coaches poll and Maxpreps' rankings that came out this morning I thought it'd be best to wait and have the most accurate and updated look tomorrow morning for ALL five classes.
Especially considering a number of 1A teams have wins against Lordsburg and a few 2A and 3A teams with wins against Mescalero Apache. Not to mention the benefactors of whoever gets the wins against Loving OR Jal after tonight across the board. The impact may not be earth-shattering but it's effect may shift a few teams up or down a spot.
Notable Monday Results
In the first playoff of the week, Hobbs jumped out to an early lead on Carlsbad and although C-Bad rallied a few times in the second half, they ultimately couldn't overcome the poor first quarter they had. Hobbs won, 54-36 to claim the regular season title and the number one seed in the district tournament championship.
In other district tournament news, Las Cruces STUNNED Centennial, 44-39 and advance to play Alamogordo who defeated Gadsden, 54-24. Onate held off Deming to also advance to face Mayfield on Wednesday.
Shiprock was eliminated while Miyamura kept their playoff hopes alive after an overtime win at home against Aztec. Miyamura is on the outside looking in and their only way to get in the state tournament is to win the district tournament.
In a make-up game from Saturday, Des Moines defeated Roy/Mosquero, 40-39 to claim second place in district outright. Roy/Mosquero will play Maxwell in the first round of the district tournament later this afternoon.
Monday's Top Players
Las Cruces' Christina Aguayo led with 20 points in the district tournament win over Centennial.
Kaliyah Montoya led Carlsbad with 14 points in their loss against Hobbs.
Hobbs' 8th grade star Wisdom Anthony led with 12 points against Carlsbad while senior guard, Amiah Smith chipped in 11 points of her own in the win.
Faith Silva led Alamogordo with 16 points in their win over Gadsden.
Key Games Tonight
Lordsburg vs. Mescalero Apache (Playoff)
Both teams will travel to Las Cruces to decide who gets the top spot in district and host the tournament championship. Both teams split their games with the home team coming away with wins in each. Now on a neutral floor we'll see what both teams can do in preparation for their March run.
Volcano Vista vs. Rio Rancho (Playoff)
Atrisco Heritage will host this playoff for first early this evening at 5:30PM. Rio Rancho had to climb from a double-digit deficit and needed a Gutierrez three-ball 5-feet off the three-point line to steal their last meeting. I would normally write off Rio Rancho given the circumstances around their last win, but they continued their tough play through their final games. It might be another close one.
Loving vs. Jal (Playoff)
Hobbs will play host to this playoff game that almost wasn't. Regardless of shady district decisions, this one should be a close competitive game as nearly all the district games have been this season. Loving swept Jal but the last time, needed a go-ahead basket with 7 seconds left to steal the game away from Jal. It'll be a tough one tonight but at least Loving gets the opportunity to play for first place.
Don't Miss...
La Cueva at Farmington - Regardless of this game's result La Cueva will have to be seeded behind Farmington. A Farmington win combined with a Volcano Vista loss should help them move up a spot in the projections.
Moriarty at Espanola Valley - The last time these two met Moriarty made it uncomfortably close. Both teams are well-coached, and it'll come down to if Espanola can guard that interior against Brooke Burch.
West Las Vegas at St. Michael's - Key head-to-head game here as both teams split the regular season. The winner will likely be seeded ahead of the other. West has the advantage for now, but a St. Michael's win will give them a 3-3 tie and the H2H going to the Lady Horsemen.
Capital at Santa Fe - Santa Fe swept their in-city rival and look to do more of the same. Although both teams are likely not making the state tournament, it should feed the rekindled rivalry heading into next season, especially if the youthful Demonettes get the sweep for this season.
Lovington at Goddard - Lovington stole the win against Goddard when the Lady Rockets couldn't get their final shot to fall. Goddard has a a solid argument to make the state tournament field, so it's really Lovington who wants to keep their postseason hopes alive. This one might be close early, but Goddard will definitely make adjustments at home.
Belen at Grants - Grants has made a splash this district season and hope to continue their success through their district tournament. Belen has dropped off substantially late this season but if they're wanting a state tournament bid, they'll have to first upset second place Grants.
