2011-2012 Hoops State Basketball Tournament

2011-12

HOOPS

TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2012

STATE ATE BASKETBALL

TOURNAMENT

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2011-12

HOOPS

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Inside

STATE ATE BASKETBALL

TOURNAMENT

—12

COVER STORY Northern New Mexico fans make their mark on The Pit, providing a passionate following for their teams and a financial shot in the arm for the New Mexico Activities Association.

Editor and publisher Robin Martin Associate publisher Ginny Sohn Managing editor Rob Dean EDITORIAL Sports editor: James Barron Contributors: Isaac Avilucea, Todd Bailey, Will Webber Design and editing: Brian Barker, Jon Lechel Cover design: Brian Barker Director of photography: Clyde Mueller

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ADVERTISING Advertising director: Tamara Hand, 986-3007 Art Department: Scott Fowler, manager Rick Artiaga, Dale Deforest, Elspeth Hilbert, Melyssa Holik Advertising layout: Christine Huffman Advertising sales: Michael Brendel, 995-3825; Gary Brouse, 995-3861; Mike Flores, 995-3840; Margaret Henkels, 995-3820; Belinda Hoschar, 995-3844; Cristina Iverson, 995-3830; Stephanie Green, 995-3820; Jan Montoya, 995-3838; Art Trujillo, 995-3820

Española Valley native Lisa Villareal has Albuquerque Volcano Vista in prime position for a title.

FEATURES Class AAAA boys preview Staff predictions Class AAA boys preview Class AAA girls preview Class AA boys preview Class AA girls preview Class B girls preview

SYSTEMS Technology director: Michael Campbell PRODUCTION Operations director: Al Waldron Asst. Production director: Tim Cramer Prepress manager: Dan Gomez Press manager: Larry Quintana Packaging manager: Brian Schultz

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BRACKETS Class AA boys Class AA girls Class B girls Class AAA Class AAAA

T H E S A N TA F E N E W M E X I C A N Office: 202 E. Marcy St. Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday Advertising info: 505-986-3082 Delivery: 505-984-0363, 800-873-3372 For copies of this magazine, call 428-7645 or email caseyb@sfnewmexican.com.

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The Santa Fe Indian School girls celebrate their state title last year in The Pit. NATALIE GUILLÉN/THE NEW MEXICAN

LAST CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR NORTHERN NEW MEXICO TEAMS Last titles for area schools, if any:

BOYS Santa Fe High: 1978 head coach, Lenny Roybal Capital: 2004 head coach, Ben Gomez St. Michael’s: 2007 head coach, Ron Geyer Santa Fe Indian School: 1989 head coach, Mike Parton Desert Academy: None Santa Fe Preparatory: None Monte del Sol: None

Pojoaque: 2008 head coach, Joey Trujillo Los Alamos: 2000 head coach, Terry Hiller Española Valley: 2011 head coach, Richard Martinez McCurdy School: None Mesa Vista: 1997 head coach, Jerry Villareal Peñasco: 1981 head coach, George Marquez Questa: 1994 head coach, James Branch Mora: 2005 head coach, Manuel M. Romero

West Las Vegas: None Las Vegas Robertson: None Pecos: 1966 head coach, Jake Martinez Des Moines: 2006 head coach, Dwyane Kibble Springer: 2004 head coach, Eloy Brazil Coronado: None Escalante: 1988 head coach, Milnor Manzanares

GIRLS Capital: None

Santa Fe High: 1988 head coach, Mike Walker St. Michael’s: None Monte del Sol: None Santa Fe Indian School: 2011 head coach, Cindy Roybal Santa Fe Preparatory: None Pojoaque: 2009 head coach Lanse Carter Los Alamos: None Española Valley: None Coronado: 2003 head coach, Antoinette Jaramillo

McCurdy: None Peñasco: None Mora: 1998 head coach, Mark Cassidy West Las Vegas: None Las Vegas Robertson: None Pecos: None Des Moines: 2004 head coach, Joey Montoya Cimarron: 2007 head coach, Butch Whitten Roy: 1998 head coach, Richard Hazen Desert Academy: None

MARCH 6, 2012 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • 3

CLASS AAAA BOYS

Jaguars believe close finishes will help in tourney run

Capital’s Christian Martinez shakes off a Taos defender during a game in December. NATALIE GUILLÉN/THE NEW MEXICAN

By James Barron

The New Mexican

F

or all the good the Capital boys basketball players have accomplished this season, they still hear the whispers in the background.

Whispers. The Jaguars don’t hear them the same way. They are as loud and clear as the cheers they hear in Edward A. Ortiz Memorial Gymnasium.

They’re not as good as they think are.

They’re out of shape.

They’re lucky.

They’re ripe to be upset.

And upset the Jaguars are. Despite a 22-6 record and an eighth Class AAAA quarterfinal appearance in the last nine seasons, the slings and arrows aimed at Capital (seeded third in

4 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • MARCH 6, 2012

this year’s state tournament) have produced the typical “us-vs.-the-world” mentality.

But it’s one the Jaguars have embraced.

“We don’t get any respect, but that just motivates us,” Capital senior guard Bryan Vigil says.

“We just go to practice and work hard every day.”

The lack of respect might stem from the nature of Capital’s wins this season. Sixteen of their 28 games have a margin of victory of fewer than 10 points, and 11 of those have been decided by four points or less. Despite the thrilling nature of their season, the Jaguars are 12-4 in close games and 8-3 in really tight situations.

That includes Saturday’s 47-43 win over 14th-seeded Deming in the opening round of the AAAA tournament, in which the Jaguars overcame a 9-minute scoring drought and a 26-17 deficit for the win.

Yet, there is an interesting quality Capital acquired in its close games — an uncanny ability to make big plays in key situations.

“It is very unique,” Capital head coach Mark Senteney says. “These guys just find a way to win. I mean, 22 wins are a lot, and we haven’t had a season like that for a long time. I hope we keep it going.”

And the cast of heroes always seems to be different. Against Deming, it was the shooting of Mikey Lopez (15 points), and the bench play of Michael Sanders (14 points, 4-for-6 from the free-throw line in the last 2:31) and John Serrano (eight points).

Other times, it has been the feathery touch of Christian Martinez (a 16-for-17 performance from the line in the fourth quarter of a 78-74 win over Bernalillo on Jan. 23), or a trapping defense that ignited the Jaguars. That was the

case against Deming and against Grants (Capital rallied from a 19-point deficit in a 60-56 win Jan. 18).

Another quality that has developed from playing close games is a calm that helps the Jaguars navigate choppy waters. There was no sense of panic when the Wildcats were up nine early in the third. After all, Capital had to come back from a three-point deficit in the last 90 seconds twice and a 19-point deficit.

The latter two times were against Los Alamos on Jan. 27, a 52-50 win, and against Bernalillo in the District 2AAAA championship on Feb. 25, a 49-46 win.

Martinez says the team’s composure has been a key element to its success.

“We talk to each other a lot better during practices and during games,” Martinez says. “That really helps us out. It doesn’t really mess us up during games, because we don’t get down on each other.”

“These guys just find a way to win. I mean, 22 wins are a lot, and we haven’t had a season like that for a long time.

I hope we keep it going.”

Capital head coach Mark Senteney And maybe this weekend might vindicate Capital’s overall résumé. Of the eight AAAA first-rounders, only two had final margins in double digits. Even top seed Roswell Goddard had to rally from a nine-point deficit to beat No. 16 Los Alamos 54-48.

Senteney feels it shows the strength of the AAAA field.

“Deming, at one point, was only down four with [1:30] left against Goddard, and they ended up losing [77-68 on Dec. 8],” Senteney says. “I don’t think people appreciate what other teams are doing in AAAA.” That approach should have Capital ready for its quarterfinal matchup against No. 11 Albuquerque Atrisco Heritage, which upset No. 6 Grants 51-50.

The also surnamed Jaguars are a dangerous lot, what with wins over Grants and No. 4 seed and District 5AAAA foe St. Pius X. “Well, l know right now that they are not very big,” Senteney says. “But they are streaky 3-point shooters. They are dangerous if you let them hang around.”

Of course, the Capital Jaguars can always rely on the whispers to keep themselves motivated.

They know they have something to prove yet.

Capital’s Bryan Vigil goes after a loose ball while surrounded by Pojoaque defenders during a December matchup.

The Jaguars have a 22-6 record and earned their eighth Class AAAA quarterfinal appearance in the last nine seasons.

LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN

MARCH 6, 2012 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • 5

From ‘The Valley’ to Volcano

Y

ou can take the girl out of “The Valley,” but “The Valley” will always follow the girl wherever she goes.

That’s how it is with Lisa Villareal.

Her house might be in Albuquerque and her team might be the Volcano Vista Lady Hawks, but her home will always be Española. And it will always support her, regardless of the colors she wears.

In fact, some in the Villareal household would love to read more about the happenings of their favorite coach — mainly because they don’t regularly read the Albuquerque newspaper.

“I might have to start calling in scores,” Villareal says about making Volcano Vista a part of the prep roundup James in The New MexiBarron can.

Commentary It won’t be this year.

Friends and family will make the trip to Rio Rancho on Tuesday to watch Villareal coach the third-seeded Lady Hawks when they play fellow District 1AAAAA rival and No. 11 Cibola in a Class AAAAA quarterfinal in the Santa Ana Star Center.

They’ll be able to chart Villareal’s performance without the need of a newspaper or television.

And they’ll see how far the girl who used to wear Lady Sundevils colors — when she played for Española Valley in the 1990s and coached her alma mater from 2001-2003 — has come.

Villareal admits that it’s a different world in AAAAA, and she’s had to adapt to a different style of game since taking over at Volcano Vista in 2008 after a two-year stint at Capital.

“They are a lot more athletic and competitive,” Villareal says. “Every school in the city is athletic, but some are not as consistent as some of these other programs.”

Consistent has been the buzzword for Volcano Vista, which is 24-1 after hammering No. 14 Valley 64-39 in the AAAAA first round at home. The Lady Hawks have beaten their last four opponents by no fewer than 17 points.

Their last loss was 13 games ago, a 47-37 score to top seed Eldorado. The Lady Eagles avenged their loss to Volcano

‘VALLEY’ GIRL Volcano Vista coach Lisa Villareal played for Española Valley in the 1990s and coached her alma mater from 2001-2003.

Vista in the APS Invitational in December.

And despite that glossy résumé, Villareal and her team felt the sting of disrespect when they received the third seed — behind a 24-3 Clovis team. “The Valley” roots show when reminded of that perceived slight.

“A lot of people have Eldorado up there in the top, and they are a good team,” Villareal says. “I will not take that away from them and they deserve to be number one. … But I don’t know how the process works as far as [the New Mexico Activities Association] selecting Clovis, a three-loss team, to be second.”

That was the message the Lady Hawks sent in their blowout of the Lady Vikings.

“They wanted to make a statement [Friday] night,” Villareal says. “No disrespect to Valley, but it could have been worse. I wanted to get my eight, nine

and 10 girls [on the roster] some playing time.”

Villareal’s experience at Volcano Vista, a school that opened in 2008, was uncharted waters for her. She had honed girls basketball programs into her image, but never created one. Villareal’s challenge was to teach underclassmen to be leaders.

“When we first started, I started three freshmen and two sophomores,” Villareal said. “We had no upperclassmen leadership, so those are the roles those girls have grown into. This year is the first year we do have that leadership.”

She sees it in senior guard Hannah Fenske, who has been with the program from the beginning, and fellow senior Schylar Malone, who was with the program since her sophomore year.

The pieces are in place for a special run — and not just for the school. Villareal’s family history with the state tour-

nament runs deep. She coached Capital to consecutive AAAA quarterfinals in 2006 and 2007 with her niece, Stefani Dominguez, who transferred from Española as a sophomore. Her brother, Ross Villareal, has been an assistant with her since their stay at Capital.

Lisa Villareal has a nephew in Mike Dominguez, who was a star guard at Capital and played collegiately at Florida International and Mesa State (now Colorado Mesa). He was on the Jaguars’ 2004 title team and the 2005 runner-up.

She knows they will be there to cheer her on, along with the rest of her family.

She hopes to bring a second state title into the family fold.

“I believe every coach is out there trying to do it,” Villareal says. “It would be dream come true to play for a state championship.”

But that goes for anybody — not just a girl from “The Valley.”

Villareal’s experience at Volcano Vista, a school that opened in 2008, was uncharted waters for her. She had honed girls basketball programs into her image, but never created one.

6 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • MARCH 6, 2012

STAFF PICKS

The New Mexican sports staff’s selections of which schools will win the state championship in their respective classes:

JAMES BARRON

WILL WEBBER

ISAAC AVILUCEA

BOYS

BOYS

BOYS

Class AAAAA — Albuquerque Eldorado Class AAAA — Roswell Goddard Class AAA — St. Michael’s Class AA — Mesilla Valley Class A — Cliff Class B — Wagon Mound

Class AAAAA — Albuquerque La Cueva Class AAAA — Roswell Goddard Class AAA — Albuquerque Hope Christian Class AA — Mora Class A — Cliff Class B — Hondo

Class AAAAA — Albuquerque La Cueva Class AAAA — Roswell Class AAA —Albuquerque Hope Christian Class AA — Mora Class A — Cliff Class B — Wagon Mound

GIRLS

GIRLS

GIRLS

Class AAAAA — Albuquerque Volcano Vista Class AAAA — Kirtland Central Class AAA — Santa Fe indian School Class AA — Texico Class A — Melrose Class B — Elida

Class AAAAA — Albuquerque Volcano Vista Class AAAA — Grants Class AAA — Santa Fe Indian School Class AA — Texico Class A — Cliff Class B — Elida

Class AAAAA — Eldorado Class AAAA — Kirtland Central Class AAA — Santa Fe Indian School Class AA — Mora Class A — Cliff Class B — Corona

MARCH 6, 2012 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • 7

CLASS AAA BOYS

Looking to crash Albuquerque Hope Christian’s party

St. Michael’s post Jared Armijo, here playing Raton in January, and the second-seeded Horsemen beat No. 15 Thoreau in the first round to set up a quarterfinal showdown against No. 7 Silver on Wednesday. NATALIE GUILLÉN/THE NEW MEXICAN

By Will Webber The New Mexican

I

ts official name is the 2012 U.S. Bank Class AAA State Basketball Championship presented by Farmers Insurance Group.

What it really should go by is the Albuquerque Hope Christian Invita-

tional.

Or more appropriately, the Huskies’ Celebration Party.

Ever since head coach Joey Trujillo and his Pojoaque Valley Elks were able to solve the Hope mystery four long years ago in the state semifinals in the Santa Ana Star Center, no one in AAA has found an answer for the big, bad Huskies.

Not a single team in Triple-A has beaten Hope since March 2008.

Only a few have even come close.

Two of them are St. Michael’s and Albuquerque Sandia Preparatory, a pair of teams seeded immediately behind the Huskies in this week’s tournament draw.

8 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • MARCH 6, 2012

The Huskies needed a last-second shot from Paul Seaton to take down the Horsemen in the regular season a year ago.

They needed gutty performances to hold off the Sundevils in tight games each of the last two seasons.

But it’s Pojoaque that gets the first shot at the knuckle-dragging beast this time around.

The Elks, seeded eighth, put their 10-19 record on the proverbial chopping block when they face the Huskies (27-1) in Wednesday’s quarterfinals in the Star Center.

Beating Hope means more than minimizing the damage of 6-foot-7 senior center Arren Wells, the school’s all-time leading scorer.

Wells’ long reach and lean, muscular frame make him a matchup nightmare at both ends of the floor, but it’s the play of others — like guards Seaton and Micah Murphy, and forwards Tommy Riley and Cameron Harjes that make life so difficult for opposing teams.

No. 2 St. Michael’s (22-7) is led by AAA’s best post player not named Wells. Junior Matt Barela has a guard’s build but is asked to do most of his work in the paint because of his

team’s general lack of size.

When he’s good for his usual 12 to 18 points and playmaking guard Antonio Garcia is generating points off the dribble, the team’s depth comes into play as Geyer is able to go 10 deep in most situations.

The Horsemen are paired against No. 7 Silver in the quarterfinals while Sandia Prep, seeded fourth behind No. 3 Shiprock, is sure to get a stiff test from No. 5 Taos (21-7).

All four quarterfinal games Wednesday have a Northern New Mexico flavor.

The late contest has No. 6 seed is Robertson (19-9) facing Shiprock, one of the highest scoring teams in the state.

The Cardinals have proven to be a dangerous, physical team whose best player, 6-3 swing man Justin Bustos, has battled injuries all season. If he’s healthy, the Redbirds could be poised for a run.

Most observers will go on the record and say everyone is playing for second place, that beating Hope seems a tall order. The Huskies are, after all, 113-8 (that’s a gaudy .934 winning percentage in case you’re scoring at home)

Pojoaque Valley sophomore Matthew Herrera, here playing against Socorro in December, and the eighth-seeded Elks knocked off No. 9 Lovington in the first round to earn a shot at No. 1 Albuquerque Hope Christian in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN

since that loss to Pojoaque.

Along the way there have been a trio of double-digit wins in the state title game and more than 50 wins against teams in AAAA and AAAAA. “Well, we’ve been here before but we know what kind of work we have to do to win it,” says Hope head coach Jim Murphy, a man whose 10 state championships ranks second only to Ralph Tasker and whose 649 wins (.783 winning percentage) place him sixth on the state’s all-time list. “The key for us is maintaining focus and knowing we need to get the work in. We’re not going to take anyone lightly.”

While the mere mention of Hope might send shivers down a team’s collective spine, one team not about

to back down is St. Michael’s.

The Horsemen have been a clear No. 2 to the Huskies most of the season and came out of their loss in the District 5AAA Tournament championship with a clearer understanding of what it takes to finally end Hope’s run.

It certainly doesn’t hurt to lean on a little history, too.

St. Michael’s felled arguably the best team in Hope’s remarkable history in the 2007 AAA championship by doing what very few teams have ever done — keep the game close into the second half.

Having made a habit of blowing teams out, there are those out there who feel the secret to a Huskies upset

is making them feel the pressure of a tight game with the clock winding down.

Horsemen head coach Ron Geyer refuses to speak about Hope until it happens to be the next game on the schedule.

For now, he sees a AAA field that is wide open with quality teams near the top.

“You look at what’s out there with Sandia Prep, Shiprock, Robertson, Taos,” he says. “This is the state tournament. One bad game can kill you, and the team that knocks down the shots and cuts down on mistakes can beat anyone. You can have the best team out there but if you can’t hit your open looks, someone’s going to beat you.”

MARCH 6, 2012 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • 9

CLASS AAA GIRLS

Lady Braves hitting their stride in quest for 3-peat

By Will Webber The New Mexican

O

ne person’s confidence is another’s arrogance.

From Cindy Roybal’s point of view, it’s clearly the former when she talks about her Santa Fe Indian School girls basketball team.

And truth be told, she doesn’t care if anyone insists it’s the latter.

The Lady Braves are gunning for their third straight state championship this week, a feat not seen in Class AAA since Kirtland Central won four in a row between 1993 and 1996.

SFIS (23-6) is seeded second behind District 5AAA nemesis Hope Christian.

The Lady Huskies (24-4) have taken two out of three meetings with the Lady Braves this season, but it’s the most recent contest — a 50-39 SFIS win in Hope’s gym for the 5AAA tournament championship — that has Roybal brimming with, um, confidence.

Maybe rightfully so.

The Lady Braves have won four straight since losing to Hope near the end of the regular season. Their 67.3 scoring average has produced a margin of victory of 28 points.

All signs point to SFIS hitting full stride at just the right time.

“There’s no doubt, no doubt, that we’re the team to beat,” Roybal says.

“We went down there and turned it into a home game. Our fans, they know what we have. The girls get fired up over that. We’ve been here before and we know what we will do.”

Three of the tournament’s top four seeds hail from 5AAA. That includes No. 4 St. Michael’s (19-8), a talented team that has demonstrated maddening bouts of inconsistency all season. The fifth and sixth seeds were sent packing with early upsets, leaving a top-heavy bracket that appears to have Hope and St. Michael’s squaring off in one semifinal and SFIS getting Portales in the other.

For starters, St. Michael’s. The Lady Horsemen narrowly avoided a major upset in the opening round by holding off No. 13 Thoreau, 51-50. It came on the heels of three consecutive losses at the end of the season; one to SFIS at home, another to Hope on the road and the last in the 5AAA tournament to Pojoaque Valley.

The Lady Horsemen face No. 12 Lovington, a surprise winner over

Santa Fe Indian School’s Mysteri Jodie drives around Hope Christian’s Marissa Perry during a game in January. Both Jodie and Perry are coming off injuries.

JANE PHILLIPS/THE NEW MEXICAN

10 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • MARCH 6, 2012

No. 5 Shiprock in the opening round, in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.

Sandwiched between St. Michael’s and SFIS is No. 3 Portales. The Lady Rams (15-11) avoided their own upset bid by pulling away from Pojoaque.

Aside from Hope and SFIS, Portales has played the most challenging schedule in AAA. The team’s most impressive stretch came in December, when it beat Robertson, Cibola and Texico in succession, then lost to AAAAA powerhouse Clovis on the road.

Still, the frailty of a team’s postseason life is underscored by all the near misses and upset losses of the teams seeded outside the top two.

“It takes one bad game,” says SFIS senior Makayla Holiday. “Sometimes your shots don’t go in or whatever, but it’s kind of scary because one lost game and it’s over.”

Hope will face No. 8 Wingate in its quarterfinal contest while Portales gets No. 11 Ruidoso, a district rival. Hope’s key to winning it all could come down to guard Marissa Perry, one of the top backcourt players in the state. She was injured in the district tournament loss to SFIS. Head coach Terry Heisey said a fourth-quarter collision that sent Perry crashing to the floor resulted in her heading to a local hospital. He said there was concern that she may have ruptured her spleen, but tests revealed that she suffered no internal damage.

She is expected to suit up for the entire tournament.

SFIS appears to have its own issues, as well. Guard Mysteri Jodie, a player whose time on the court has risen dramatically as the season has worn on, went down with a right leg injury the opening round against West Las Vegas.

It follows previous injuries to Danielle Nelson and a few others.

Roybal said everyone should be fine once Tuesday’s game tips off.

After all, it’s the state tournament. It’s all hands on deck for a rare three-peat.

All of which brings us back to that confidence thing.

Asked to explain how, over the last two-plus seasons, the Lady Braves have been able to sustain a measure of dominance while others have risen and fallen without that same consistency, Roybal dove right in.

“It’s coaching,” she says. “No brag, just fact. No brag, just fact. Again, you’ve got to sell your program to your kids. You have to believe in what you’re doing, then you take that to your players and you make them believe in the same thing. Every year they look at us and say we’ll be nobody if we lose this player or that player. We lose them, and here we are again. You don’t like it?

Beat us.”

Contact Will Webber at wwebber@ sfnewmexican.com or 986-3060.

Elizabeth Serrano of St. Michael’s goes up for a shot against Española Valley in December. The Lady Horsemen narrowly avoided a major upset in the opening round by holding off No. 13 Thoreau 51-50. NATALIE GUILLÉN/THE NEW MEXICAN

MARCH 6, 2012 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • 11

Pojoaque girls basketball fans try to distract St. Michael’s Marissa Peterson from making a free throw during the Class AAA state championship game in 2008.

Northern New Mexico fans have helped create a cash-generating machine for the New Mexico Activities Association.

KARL STOLLEIS/THE NEW MEXICAN

Every year around this time, Northern New Mexico hoops fans descend on The Pit with a devotion to their teams that’s hard to match anywhere, providing an essential financial pillar for the New Mexico Activities Association

BY WILL WEBBER THE NEW MEXICAN

his dry swath of high-desert terrain, beautifully sculpted with its arroyos, mountains and evergreen forests, is special for more than its cosmetic narrative.

Turns out this geographical way station which, some might say, is unceremoniously squeezed onto the map between the West Coast and the big ol’ heart of Texas, is the home to one of this country’s best annual amateur sporting events. And at 12 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • MARCH 6, 2012

the root of it is the area most of us call home.

Northern New Mexico is the fuel that drives the powerful financial engine that is the New Mexico Activities Association’s high school state basketball tournament. Every year this area, which encompasses the rabid fan bases of Pecos, Los Alamos, Mora, Ojo Caliente, Taos, Española, Pojoaque, Tierra Amarilla, Las Vegas and Santa Fe, to name a few, provides the boost that makes the tournament the unique sporting event that it is.

“You know, I’ll travel the country and try to explain our tournament at national meetings, and most of the time people can’t believe it,” says NMAA executive

director Gary Tripp. “It’s almost unheard of to have a high school event succeed the way ours has, but to have it in New Mexico, a place that most people would never expect — it’s amazing to see a person’s reaction to it.”

Often held in Albuquerque and hosted by The University of New Mexico during the same week that the beloved hometown Lobos are playing in their conference tournament, the state tournament has every reason to fail. With the metro area’s basketball fanatics distracted by UNM’s exploits out of town, common sense would dictate that ticket sales at the tournament would suffer.

Not so. Far from it.

The 2010 tournament was a classic example of what kind of effect the North has on the week-long event.

That year the NMAA raked in a net profit of $454,257, according to research done by NMAA associate director Robert Zayas.

Last year’s tournament netted $320,857, thanks in large part to some Northern clubs not making sustained playoff runs.

“It’s all about matchups,” Zayas says. “If we get certain games at certain times, we’re going to get big crowds. That year [2010] we had good crowds.”

It did seem like a perfect storm, of sorts, in 2010. The

girls AAA tournament had Santa Fe Indian School, West Las Vegas and St. Michael’s all reaching the semifinals in The Pit, and Pojoaque Valley advancing to the quarterfinals. SFIS beat West in front of a huge crowd estimated by various media outlets of 11,000 to 13,000.

Add to it the dream matchup of Kirtland Central and Shiprock in the AAAA title game and Kirtland’s semifinal game against Española Valley the day before, Navajo Pine reaching the finals of AA, and an all-Albuquerque showdown between Eldorado and Sandia in the big-school division. The girls brackets were a cash-generating machine.

The boys draw that year had Española Valley’s

memorable run to the finals (a loss to Roswell), Capital and Los Alamos both in the quarterfinals and a AAA final four that included St. Michael’s and SFIS. Last year’s tournament was highlighted by Española’s memorable march to its first boys championship.

The Sundevils practically packed the house three straight days, culminating with a win over Roswell Goddard in the finals.

What hurt the bottom line, however, was a dearth of fan-friendly matchups in the smaller classifications.

The best girls games in AA featured Pecos against Peñasco and Navajo Prep against eventual champion Navajo Pine, but those games were both on a Tuesday MARCH 6, 2012 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • 13

Santa Fe Indian School fans cheer for the Lady Braves last year during the AAA state championship game vs. Shiprock in The Pit. NATALIE GUILLÉN/THE NEW MEXICAN

morning in Rio Rancho.

The boys AA draw had Mesa Vista reaching the semifinals, but early exits by Mora and Peñasco hurt potential big crowds down the line. In AAA, St. Michael’s was bounced in the semifinals on the boys side, but SFIS faced Shiprock in the girls title game.

“Obviously we have to budget conservatively,” Zayas says. “We can’t plan ahead assuming we’ll make [2010 money] every year.”

Tripp says there was a time when Northern New Mexico’s fan base accounted for approximately 60 percent of all ticket sales. Even now, the revenue generated from the state tournament accounts for at least half of the NMAA’s annual operating budget.

That money is then filtered down into other state championship events that often struggle to break even or fail to produce a net gain.

The advent of social media in recent years hasn’t had an adverse affect on the tournament attendance, either. In fact, it has probably helped.

The NMAA has given broadcast rights to ProViewNetworks.com to stream all playoff games online. Those games can then be archived, giving fans a chance to watch history play itself out over and over again.

14 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • MARCH 6, 2012

“I don’t care where you’re from, if your team makes it to The Pit and has a chance to play there in March, your fans are going to come with you.” Santa Fe High head girls coach Elmer Chavez One of the most-watched games in the site’s history was the 2009 Class AAAA semifinal boys game between Española Valley and Artesia, a game the Sundevils lost in triple overtime. In the months and years that followed, that game was repeatedly viewed in the site’s archives.

A look the list of championship teams over the years doesn’t help explain the North’s remarkable fan interest. The basketball isn’t necessarily any better than it is in other parts of the state, but its community support is often over the top.

“This sounds extreme, maybe, but basketball is life in a lot of ways to people around here,” says Mark Cassidy, the head coach of the Mora girls program.

“You get into these smaller towns and it gets into winter, basketball is all you’ve got sometimes. Then you have a year where one of those teams gets hot, you wind up getting everyone whose ever been in that

town coming out to watch the games — especially when it comes to state.”

One person with perspective from both sides of the state is St. Michael’s boys coach Ron Geyer. He led the Alamogordo boys to the big-school championship game five times between 1991 and 1998, winning it three times, and has since taken the Horsemen to the AAA title game three times.

Over the years he has seen the girls tournament explode in popularity, thanks to the influence of the Native American schools from the northwest part of the state.

“Those teams, in particular, have really fueled the tournament for a long, long time,” Geyer says.

“Then on the boys side, I believe the mileage factor is certainly something to consider. When I was in Alamogordo we, and places like Hobbs and even a smaller school like Tularosa, we would always bring a

significant amount of fans. But it’s not like it is around [Northern New Mexico]. You get into these communities up here and it just means an awful lot. Taos, Mora, Pecos. Their proximity to Albuquerque helps, but I think the people around here would travel anywhere to see their kids play.”

Santa Fe High head girls coach Elmer Chavez says the mystique of reaching the state tournament is a driving force behind the fans’ interest.

“I don’t care where you’re from, if your team makes it to The Pit and has a chance to play there in March, your fans are going to come with you,” he says. “I’ve seen it around here. There’s something about playing in that building that gets everyone excited. And when you’re there, oh, you can’t really describe it.”

Like most people who’ve been behind the scenes at the tournament, Chavez says the most endearing memory of being there is the run down the 150-foot long Pit ramp and playing a game in fabled University Arena.

From a player’s perspective, the moment immediately before tipoff is something that cannot be forgotten. The only thing visible from the top of The Pit ramp is the southeast corner of Bob King Court.

Emanating from that opening is the sound of the crowd, complete with spirit bands, cheerleaders and students with painted faces, some of whom wave towels and hand-crafted banners. The sound of fans numbering in the thousands is impossible to comprehend for a teenager.

“That’s something I always wanted to experience,” says SFIS girls basketball player Bridget Lee. “I came

here to see what it was like, and the first time I saw it … Wow. I can’t even explain. It gets so loud.”

And then the moment comes. With nerves boiling over, the team trots down the ramp. Above them is a ceiling so low that a player can run his or her fingertips along the glossy paint. To either side are walls so constricting that it’s almost excusable to get a sense of claustrophobia.

“You come out of that tunnel and hear the crowd,” says SFIS girls basketball coach Cindy Roybal, “and you feel alive. Those people make you feel more alive than you’ve ever been.”

It’s those people, the fans who have driven several hours and spent a day’s wages to fund the road trip, who make the tournament what it is. When their teams burst into sight, the roar is more than just simple support for a team. It’s for a town, a community whose pride is placed on the line with the bouncing of a big orange ball.

“I’ve always said that there are pockets in the south that remind me of Northern New Mexico,” Tripp says.

“But for every pocket, that’s the way it is almost everywhere up north. The way people grab onto football in most places down there, especially the closer you get to West Texas, that’s what people do with basketball in that end of the state. That support has been sustained for as long as I can remember.”

Tripp is a graduate of West Las Vegas and was a junior on the Dons team that lost to Albuquerque Academy in the semifinals in 1978. That same tournament saw the single biggest crowd in state tournament history, as 18,300 tickets were sold for the AAAA

championship game between Lenny Roybal’s Santa Fe High Demons and Jim Hulsman’s Albuquerque High Bulldogs.

“Amazing,” Tripp recalls. “We had a historian come through here a few years ago and he did research into the top crowds across the country. At the time he found that it was the largest attendance for a state tournament game in the Western United States. I’m not sure if it still is. It might be because I was there and I’ve never seen or heard of a crowd getting that big again.”

Of course, that record is safe for the time being.

At least, the New Mexico version. Since the recent renovation of The Pit, capacity has been reduced to roughly 15,400.

That includes the luxury suites, which the NMAA is renting from UNM and making available to corporate sponsors for the first time this week.

A quick glance of the brackets heading into tournament week shows a handful of possibilities for Northern New Mexico to flex its proverbial fan muscle once again. On the boys side, St. Michael’s and Capital have teams that could advance deep into the tournament.

Same for the Mora boys and girls and, of course, the two-time defending champion SFIS girls.

“I’ve seen a lot of these tournaments, and all I can say is it’s special,” says Española Valley girls head coach Ron Drake. “I coached back in New Jersey. You can’t even compare the two. The games here are good, but it’s the people who make it what it is. The support you get from the people around you, that’s basketball up north. As a coach or a player, you have to love it.”

“You come out of that tunnel and hear the crowd, and you feel alive. Those people make you feel more alive than you’ve ever been.” SFIS girls basketball coach Cindy Roybal

Española Valley’s Richie Mondragon celebrates in the tunnel at The Pit after the Sundevils’ state title win over Roswell Goddard last year. NATALIE GUILLÉN/THE NEW MEXICAN MARCH 6, 2012 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • 15

CLASS AA BOYS

Blue Griffins hope to continue ‘historic’ run vs. Mora

By Isaac Avilucea The New Mexican

T

o a lot of people, 2012 represent myriad things.

If you believe the crazies, it’s doomsday.

Chinese astrology has it as the year of the dragon. It just so happens that 2012 is a leap year.

But head coach Dennis Casados and his Santa Fe Preparatory boys basketball team are hoping 2012 turns into something much more.

They’re hoping it’s the year of the Blue Griffins.

So when they broke through for a 65-57 win over No. 11 Magdalena in the first round of the Class AA State Basketball Tournament, Casados couldn’t understate the significance of No. 6 seed Prep’s win, calling it the “biggest win this school has had in ages.”

And to a degree, he was right.

The win propelled the Blue Griffins to the Santa Ana Star Center for a quarterfinal matchup, a place they’ve only been twice in program history — in 1983 and 1994, athletic director Todd Kurth said.

That was Saturday.

By Wednesday, the Blue Griffins could outdo themselves.

Enter the Mora Rangers, a team that has been a spur in Prep’s collective hide.

For one, seniors Dan Van Essen, Ryan Evaldson, Joey Lambert and Rob Weiner had never tasted victory over the Rangers until this year, when they finally pulled it off in the District 2AA Tournament championship, no less.

For the longest time, the Rangers had a psychological edge over the Blue Griffins, who hadn’t beaten Mora since 1995.

So, it’s evident just how elusive these types of seasons have been for Prep.

For the last 17 years, the Blue Griffins have

“It’s been pretty historic. We got a good thing going here.”

Santa Fe Prep guard Joey Lambert on the season been a footnote in prep basketball, not having owned a district title since 1995.

“It’s been pretty historic,” guard Lambert says about the Blue Griffins’ season. “We got a good thing going here.”

Adds Will Lenfestey: “This has been a fun journey for us.”

And quite a journey for Casados, who had been out of coaching for 17 years. He ended a six-year tour of duty at Capital in 1994 before taking over for Chris Chakeres in July 2011.

On some level, the Casados-Prep marriage was peculiar, and Kurth knew as much.

The school grinded through a three-month coaching search to replace Chakeres, who had just led the team to a 14-8 record, its first winning season in his eight years at the school.

It was clear, though, Kurth had his reservations, admitting back in June that “It was not a slam dunk to pick a Dennis Casados.”

It was more like an alley-oop, in the sense that it required a seamless passing of the torch from Chakeres to Casados and an equally flawless reception on the part of the players.

“I had a basketball program that had finally matured, and I didn’t want to take that lightly on a bad leadership choice that could have erased the progress it had made,” Kurth says.

There was no telling whether the Blue Griffins could sustain the momentum they built.

And in truth, there was no telling whether Casados’ coaching acumen was still intact after such a lengthy sabbatical.

But it was a leap of faith Kurth was willing to make.

“A good coach doesn’t get rusty with age,” Kurth says. “It would not be accurate at all to say that I was rolling the dice. I had absolute faith that I had made the right hire. And the results bear that out.”

Unmistakably.

And now before the Blue Griffins is an even bigger opportunity.

In a year of breakthroughs, can they do it one more time against the Rangers?

Rangers head coach James Branch says there is a band of players down in Mora hoping to end the Prep relevancy parade, especially after losing to the Blue Griffins.

“I know we’ve got some incentive going in,” Branch says. “That was a hard pill to swallow.

That night the boys watched them raise a banner. But it might be a blessing in disguise. One thing about my guys is they’re really resilient.

They come back with a whale of an effort after every loss.”

There’s no secret what Prep is up against.

This is the proverbial high-stakes game of the hunter vs. the hunted, contrasting Mora’s postseason know-how with that of Prep’s relative postseason naiveté.

This is tradition vs. a fledging program.

“I think the teams we play have a greater history with basketball,” Kurth says, alluding to Mora’s past. “Their players grow up spending more time in the gym. They have played together since they were kids. They have a different approach to the game. It doesn’t come easy to our guys.”

But nothing that’s worthwhile does.

That’s what has made Prep’s run so remarkable.

A first-year head coach essentially leading a team on its maiden voyage.

“I wont lie to you,” Kurth says. “It’s been pretty enjoyable.”

1 LAGUNA-ACOMA WED., 6:30 P.M., SANTA ANA STAR

9 TEXICO THUR., 3 P.M., SANTA ANA STAR

5 PECOS

CHAMPION

WED., 8 A.M., SANTA ANA STAR

The Pit (UNM), Albuquerque, Saturday, 8 a.m.

BOYS CLASS AA

4 TULAROSA

3 MORA WED., 3 P.M., SANTA ANA STAR

6 SANTA FE PREP THUR., 1:15 P.M., SANTA ANA STAR

10 DEXTER WED., 11:30 A.M., SANTA ANA STAR

2 MESILLA VALLEY

16 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • MARCH 6, 2012

MARCH 6, 2012 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • 17

CLASS AA GIRLS

Northern district schools could surprise field, Texico

By Isaac Avilucea The New Mexican

D

ynamics, dynamics, dynamics.

Looking at the remaining field of the Class AA State Basketball Tournament, it’s clear heading into quarterfinals week the dynamics are dynamo.

Top to bottom, the bracket is peppered with storylines in a year one coach said might be the most equitable in recent memory.

First, there is the whole districts-vying-forsupremacy tidbit.

District 1, 2 and 3AA make up six of the final eight teams, and of that figure, 25 percent hail from Northern New Mexico. By the time the field is whittled, 1AA or 3AA could be gone.

The two teams from each district are set up in quarterfinals on opposite sides of the bracket.

Representing 1AA are No. 6 seed Navajo Pine, which draws No. 3 Laguna Acoma, and No. 4 Navajo Prep, which has No. 5 Magdalena.

The second-seeded Mora Rangerettes, from 2AA, face No. 7 Clayton, while at the top of the prep pyramid, No. 8 Peñasco is trying to knock a powerhouse of its perch.

“I don’t think you can take anything away from the other programs,” says Wally Sanchez, Magdalena head coach. “I don’t know if any district, including ours, has been the most dominant this year.”

No one would dispute giving the “dominant” label to Texico, though.

Owners of three of the last five state championships, the top-seeded Lady Wolverines are essentially a Fortune 500 venture when it comes to girls prep basketball. But if ever there was a year for a team to sneak up on the Lady Wolverines, this is it.

Texico underwent a facelift midseason.

The face of the program for the last three

years, Keith Durham, unexpectedly stepped down as head girls basketball coach, sending the administration scrambling to find a replacement.

They went with a familiar face.

Richard Luscombe, a coaching staple with boys basketball for 22 years, was handpicked to lead the team. At the time, he was an assistant on the boys team.

He said Durham’s departure came as a shock to him and the community, so his first goal was to stabilize the program after assuming the position following Christmas.

But this is Texico basketball we’re talking about.

It’s arguably shock-proof, and the aftershocks of Durham’s sudden change-of-heart were subtle, if at all tangible.

The Lady Wolverines roared to a 22-6 record and the top seed in AA. Part of that has to do with the fact that there wasn’t a huge philosophy shift when Luscombe took over. He changed little of Texico’s brand of basketball, preferring for continuity in scheme.

And it helps that Texico still possesses that overbearing presence that gives it a palpable advantage over teams before they even take the floor.

“I’m not sure if I’d call it an ‘intimidation factor’,” Luscombe says. “Almost seems like it’s a ‘motivation factor’ for other teams. Every team we play comes out ready to face us. So I tell them every day that if you’re not ready to play, every one of these teams will be.”

Count Peñasco among them.

Yet count Lady Panthers head coach David Sanchez out when it comes to questions of Texico’s vulnerability.

Sanchez said Texico has turned what could have been a turbulent season into another triumphant one.

“It’s never really a surprise with Texico,” he says. “Their tradition is just so great. I always

feel like they’re just expected to do well. A coaching change isn’t going to change the way they think about the game.”

So is there anything Peñasco can exploit?

“I don’t know if they have a weakness, to tell you the truth,” Sanchez says. “It’s going to take a lot of perfect basketball. I think it’s going to come down to us doing all the little things perfectly.

“I know a lot of teams walk in knowing what type of team they are. You have to realize that it’s basketball and anything can happen. Then you have to hope the rim gets a little bit small for them.”

Sanchez said Texico’s half-court game is phenomenal, which doesn’t lend itself favorably to the Lady Panthers, being that halfcourt basketball is what they do best.

So it could be in Peñasco’s best interest to abandon that style. And if it leads to a win, Sanchez said he has no reservation about the Lady Panthers stepping out of their comfort zone.

“These girls are able to change the game plan mid-game,” he says. “I have to feel and they have to feel like we can out-execute them, and if we don’t we’ve already lost.”

If there’s someone who knows a little something about Texico, it’s Magdalena head coach Wally Sanchez.

Last year, his Steers lost to the Lady Wolverines in the quarterfinals.

But when it comes to this year’s tournament, Sanchez has tunnel vision. He isn’t looking forward to a potential semifinals rematch between the programs. His glare is squarely on Navajo Prep, an unfamiliar draw for the Steers.

From this point, Sanchez said, seedings are going to be rendered utterly meaningless.

“Navajo Prep sends shivers up my spine,” he says. “We can’t afford to look past Navajo Prep. And if we get by in that one, then we’ll look at Texico.”

1 TEXICO TUE., 8 A.M., SANTA ANA STAR

8 PEÑASCO THUR., 9:45 A.M., SANTA ANA STAR

5 MAGDALENA

CHAMPION

TUE., 11:30 A.M., SANTA ANA STAR

The Pit (UNM), Albuquerque, Friday, 6 p.m.

GIRLS CLASS AA

4 NAVAJO PREP

3 LAGUNA-ACOMA TUE., 6:30 P.M., SANTA ANA STAR

6 NAVAJO PINE THUR., 11:30 A.M., SANTA ANA STAR

7 CLAYTON TUE., 3 P.M., SANTA ANA STAR

2 MORA

18 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • MARCH 6, 2012

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MARCH 6, 2012 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • 19

CLASS B GIRLS

Season of firsts leads Lady Wolves to state tourney

By Todd Bailey

For The New Mexican

F

irst came patience.

Then frustration.

Now excitement.

Santa Fe Waldorf head basketball coach Daniel Wendland has gone through a list of emotions during his eight-year journey at the school.

When he was hired to teach in 2004, he was also asked to build an athletic program.

In his second stint as the Lady Wolves coach, Wendland led his young pups to District 1B regular season and tournament crowns and to the Class B State Basketball Tournament.

All three accomplishments are firsts for the program.

The eighth-seeded Lady Wolves (13-12) face No. 1 Elida in the Tuesday’s quarterfinal at Bernalillo High School.

It’s been a long eight years for Wendland with this program. He realized early on that to build it correctly, it had to start with a group of eighth-graders and freshmen willing to put in the time and effort to learn the sport.

“We thought we had it planned out correctly,” he says. “We’d patiently build it from the ground up and have just a middle schooltype program. As the kids got older, we would eventually have a varsity program.”

But it didn’t happen that way. While some players still loved basketball, their ideals on a proper education changed. They transferred to different schools once they got into high school, ready and willing to play for another team.

“I looked at a team picture once and saw that only two of 12 girls were still on our team,” Wendland says. “It was frustrating, but it wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was just how the chips fell. Some kids transferred to different schools, others had families who packed up and moved away.”

One player who stayed is now a junior and the team’s oldest and best player. Sophia Richard scored 14 points to lead her team in the district title game — a feat she’s used to doing this season.

“She’s a heck of an athlete,” Wendland says.

“She puts so much heart and soul into everything she does athletically. She has seen a lot of her classmates leave, yet through it all, she stayed.”

Technically, Wendland left too. After coaching the Lady Wolves for three seasons, he left in 2010 for a needed break. In addition to his teaching duties, he also coaches volleyball and track and is the school’s athletics director. It was just a matter of time before something had to give.

“I needed a timeout to maintain some sanity,” he says. “Also, I wanted to make the athletics program sustainable. I wanted to get some good people in place and not have to do everything.”

Anthony Gonzalez was hired in 2010. He coached last season and up to January of this year before being asked to step down.

“It just wasn’t a good fit,” says Wendland, who stepped in as coach on an interim basis.

20 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • MARCH 6, 2012

Santa Fe Waldorf guard Rosemary Damianov, here playing Evangel Christian Academy in January, and the eighth-seeded Lady Wolves face No. 1 Elida in the first round of the Class B State Basketball Tournament. LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN

“It was time to move the program in a different direction.”

When Wendland returned, he brought with him some freshmen from the volleyball team, which was another improving program. If they lose on Tuesday, the Lady Wolves will finish at 13-13, a program best.

Baby steps.

“I believe we are at a turning point with our program,” Wendland said. “This year has been phenomenal. It’s exciting. The girls are believing in themselves and we hope the experience of playing at state will continue our progress.”

With a roster full of freshmen, every Lady Wolf should return next season. They might

still be in this season, but they are thinking about next season as well. And that starts with an offseason full of skills and team camps built to help create team unity. That’s months away, however, after the state tournament. “[Playing well at state] will be a matter of calming our nerves and focusing on our strengths,” Wendland says. “We have size, and we have scorers. We just need to take advantage, and it will serve us well. It will be intense for the girls, but we earned the right to be here.”

Intensity.

Add that to this growing list of emotions that is Waldorf Lady Wolves basketball.

THE BRACKETS

1 ELIDA TUE., 1:15 P.M., BERNALILLO HIGH

8 SANTA FE WALDORF THUR., 11:30 A.M., BERNALILLO HIGH

4 RESERVE

CHAMPION

TUE., 11:30 A.M., BERNALILLO HIGH

The Pit (UNM), Albuquerque, Friday, 4 p.m.

GIRLS CLASS B

5 CLOVIS CHRISTIAN

3 CORONA TUE., 9:45 A.M., BERNALILLO HIGH

6 ROY/MOSQUERO THUR., 8 A.M., BERNALILLO HIGH

7 HONDO TUE., 8 A.M., BERNALILLO HIGH

2 GRADY

GOING TO THE GAMES

PARKING

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The University of New Mexico will be charging $5 for parking for all cars with fewer than four people. There is no charge for parking at Rio Rancho’s Santa Ana Star Center and Bernalillo High School.

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1 HOPE CHRIST.

(80)

16 RATON

(29)

THE BRACKETS

1 HOPE CHRISTIAN WED., 1:15 P.M., SANTA ANA STAR

8 POJOAQUE

(53) 8 POJOAQUE VALLEY

9 LOVINGTON

(46)

5 TAOS

(67)

FRI., 8 A.M., THE PIT (UNM)

5 TAOS 12 HOT SPRINGS

(50)

4 SANDIA PREP

(75)

WED., 9:45 A.M., SANTA ANA STAR

4 SANDIA PREP 13 RUIDOSO

(33)

3 SHIPROCK

(75) 3 SHIPROCK

14 PORTALES

BOYS CLASS AAA

The Pit (UNM), Albuquerque, Saturday, 10 a.m.

CHAMPION

(60) WED., 8:15 P.M., SANTA ANA STAR

6 L.V. ROBERTSON (53) 6 L.V. ROBERTSON 11 SOCORRO

(40)

7 SILVER

(40)

10 WINGATE

(25)

2 ST. MICHAEL’S

(71)

FRI., 9:45 AM., THE PIT (UNM)

7 SILVER WED., 4:45 P.M., SANTA ANA STAR

2 ST. MICHAEL’S 15 THOREAU

(81)

1 HOPE CHRIST.

(55)

16 RATON

(70)

8 WINGATE

(51)

9 TAOS

(42)

5 SHIPROCK

(46)

12 LOVINGTON

(51)

4 ST. MICHAEL’S

(50)

13 THOREAU

(47)

3 PORTALES

(25)

14 POJOAQUE

(56)

6 HATCH VALLEY

(59)

11 RUIDOSO

(55)

7 ROBERTSON

(50)

10 HOT SPRINGS

(46)

15 W. LAS VEGAS

(75)

2 INDIAN SCHOOL

1 HOPE CHRISTIAN

(23)

TUE., 3 P.M., THE PIT (UNM)

8 WINGATE THUR., 8 A.M., THE PIT (UNM)

12 LOVINGTON TUE., 11:30 A.M., THE PIT (UNM)

CHAMPION

The Pit (UNM), Albuquerque, Friday, 2 p.m.

GIRLS CLASS AAA

4 ST. MICHAEL’S

3 PORTALES TUE., 8 A.M., THE PIT (UNM)

11 RUIDOSO THUR., 11:30 A.M., THE PIT (UNM)

7 L.V. ROBERTSON TUE., 6:30 P.M., THE PIT (UNM)

2 S.F. INDIAN SCHOOL

22 • HOOPS STATE TOURNEY • MARCH 6, 2012

1 GODDARD

(54)

16 LOS ALAMOS

(48)

1 GODDARD WED., 11:30 A.M., THE PIT (UNM)

8 BERNALILLO

(58) 9 KIRTLAND CENTRAL

9 KIRT. CENTRAL

(59)

5 GALLUP

(60)

THUR., 3 P.M., THE PIT (UNM)

5 GALLUP 12 FARMINGTON

(51)

4 ST. PIUS X

(45)

WED., 3 P.M., THE PIT (UNM)

4 ST. PIUS X 13 VALENCIA

(40)

3 CAPITAL

(47) 3 CAPITAL

14 DEMING

(43)

6 GRANTS

(50)

BOYS CLASS AAAA

The Pit (UNM), Albuquerque, Saturday, 2 p.m.

CHAMPION

WED., 6:30 P.M., THE PIT (UNM)

11 ATRISCO HERITAGE 11 ATRISCO

(51)

7 SANTA TERESA

(61)

10 LOS LUNAS

(44)

15 PIEDRA VISTA

(34)

THUR., 6:30 P.M., THE PIT (UNM)

7 SANTA TERESA WED., 8 A.M., THE PIT (UNM)

1 GRANTS

(44)

16 LOS ALAMOS

(64)

8 ARTESIA

(38)

9 SANTA FE HIGH

(36)

5 ESPAﾃ前LA

(45)

12 MIYAMURA

1 GRANTS

2 ROSWELL 2 ROSWELL

(62)

(71) TUE., 1:15 P.M., THE PIT (UNM)

8 ARTESIA THUR., 1:15 P.M., THE PIT (UNM)

12 MIYAMURA TUE., 8:15 P.M., THE PIT (UNM)

(50) 4 KIRTLAND CENT.

CHAMPION

The Pit (UNM), Albuquerque, Friday, 8 p.m.

GIRLS CLASS AAAA

4 KIRTLAND CENTRAL (38)

13 DEL NORTE

(31)

3 PIEDRA VISTA

(29)

14 BERNALILLO

(58)

6 GALLUP

(49)

11 FARMINGTON

(44)

7 VALENCIA

(40)

10 ST. PIUS X

(44)

15 DEMING

(79)

2 ROSWELL

3 PIEDRA VISTA TUE., 4:45 P.M., THE PIT (UNM)

6 GALLUP THUR., 9:45 A.M., THE PIT (UNM)

7 VALENCIA TUE., 9:45 A.M., THE PIT (UNM)

THE BRACKETS

2 ROSWELL

MARCH 6, 2012 窶｢ HOOPS STATE TOURNEY 窶｢ 23

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