1A Girls State Tournament Preview

The New Mexico High School Basketball State Tournament starts this Saturday March 4th, and this article will go over the Girls 1A Bracket consisting of 16 teams and 8 matchups. The First Round is Friday March 4th, the Quarterfinals are Tuesday March 8th, the Semifinals are Friday March 11th and the Championship games are Saturday March 12th. <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">#1 Animas vs #16 Springer</span></strong> The Animas Girls secured the #1 overall seed with their dominant regular season. They finished 19-2 in the regular season and won the district title going undefeated in district play at 8-0. This team was led by Coach Wanda Offutt and Senior Naomi Kimble. This is the team to beat in this years 1A Tournament. Springer finished the regular season at 12-12 and went 6-4 in district play. This is a young team with just one senior on the roster. They were led by Aubrey Jespersen. <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">#8 To’haijilee vs #9 Reserve</span></strong> To’haijilee might be the most underrated team in this 1A Tournament considering how good the teams record was and where they got seeded in this bracket. They went 18-4 in the regular season and won their district title going undefeated in district play at 8-0. This is a deep roster with three players averaging in double digits per game. [player_tooltip player_id="391173" first="Alyce" last="Apachito"] averaged 15.9 points per game this season which was the 13th most in the state this season. Erynn Montehermoso was the teams second leading scorer averaging 12.5 points per game. [player_tooltip player_id="391183" first="Donata" last="Secatero"] was the third leading scorer averaging 11.2 points per game. Reserve went a solid 16-7 in the regular season and secured the 9th seed in this years tournament. They went 5-3 in district play which was tied for the best record. This team was led by Seniors Naomi Delao and Hailey Baca. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#5 Gateway Christian vs #12 Alamo Navajo</strong></span> Gateway Christian was one of the best teams in 1A this season and fished with a 17-2 record in the regular season. They were also the district champs by winning district with an undefeated record at 4-0. This team is led by their seniors Lauren Hunter, Sarah Lilley and Hannah Lilley. Alamo Navajo secured the 12th seed in this 1A Tournament after going 16-12 this season. They cliched their playoff spot by going a solid 8-3 in district play. They were led by Team Captain’s Hailey Apachito and Elliana Guerro. <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">#4 Melrose vs #13 Dora</span></strong> Melrose is this tournaments 4th seed after a solid regular season fishing 19-7 and second in district with a 5-3 record. This team is one of the real contenders to win the state championship in this years tournament. They are led by Team Captains Johanna Roybal, Isabelle Sena and Sorrell Allen. Dora finished the regular season 12-11 and second in district play at 2-2. They are led by their five seniors Brianna Nettles, Anisten Tapia, Brynn Dillard Katelyn Burnett and Kelsey Kendrick. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#3 Logan vs #14 Evangel Christian</strong></span> Logan finished the regular season with an impressive 21-6 record and battled in the toughest district in the 1A Class. They went 6-2 in district and second place overall. This 6 team district had 3 teams qualify for the state tournament and all three secured top four seeds in this 1A Tournament. They were led by their two seniors Reece Goldston and Rilee Nials. Logan is one of the favorites to win this state tournament. Evangel Christian went 19-9 in the regular season and 8-0 in district to secure their district title. Despite going undefeated in district play and a solid regular season, this team will open the State Tournament on the road. This team has one senior, Ester Heyer. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#6 Roy/Mosquero vs #11 Cliff </strong></span> Roy/Mosquero finished the regular season with an impressive 22-5 record and they won their district title going 10-1 in district play. This team was led by their star players Arantza Covarrubias and Tana Crisp. Cliff went 15-9 in the regular season and came in second during district play with a 5-3 record. Cliff was in perhaps the second toughest district in the 5A Class. They were led by senior Jazzy Williams, Cliff will be a tough first round matchup for Roy/Mosquero. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#7 Maxwell vs #10 Magdalena</strong></span> Maxwell finished the regular season 21-4 and second in district with an impressive 9-2 record. This team is led by their Team Captains Audriana Apodaca and Alexi Hoy. Magdalena finished 20-7 in the regular season and undefeated in district at 11-0. They won their district title and were led by [player_tooltip player_id="353751" first="Kenzie" last="Silva"]. Magdalena will be a scary first round matchup for Maxwell. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#2 Fort Sumner/House vs #15 Jemez Valley</strong></span> Fort Sumner/House finished the regular season 17-4 and won their district tile going 7-1. They participated in the toughest district in 1A and was rewarded the #2 seed in the 1A tournament. They were led by their three team captains Abby Moyer, Jordan Wilton and Megan Oberg. Jemez Valley secured the 15th seed going 5-11 this season.