5A Girls State Tournament Preview

The New Mexico High School Basketball State Tournament starts this Friday March 4th, and this article will go over the Girls 5A Bracket consisting of 16 teams and 8 matchups. The First Round is Friday March 4th, the Quarterfinals are Tuesday March 8th, the Semifinals are Thursday March 10th and the Championship games are Friday March 11th. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#1 Volcano Vista vs #16 Santa Fe</strong></span> The 2021 defending 5A State Champions started their title defense this season by going 25-0 in the regular season, winning their district title by going 8-0 in district play than winning their district tournament. This team was led by NM Lobo Commits, [player_tooltip player_id="353694" first="Natalia" last="Chavez"] and [player_tooltip player_id="353693" first="Jaelyn" last="Bates"]. Natalia averaged 17.2 points per game and [player_tooltip player_id="353693" first="Jaelyn" last="Bates"] averaged 13.0 points this season. [player_tooltip player_id="353693" first="Jaelyn" last="Bates"] was the district player of the year this season. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="357657" first="Taejhuan" last="Hill"] also averaged 11.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. This team also got strong contributions from the District defensive player of the year [player_tooltip player_id="353770" first="Kennedy" last="Brown"], she is the type of player every championship team needs. [player_tooltip player_id="353903" first="Angelyn" last="Aranda"] also provides interior defense and rebounding inside the paint. Santa Fe went 18-9 this season,8-2 in district play and finished 2nd in their district. This team was led by seniors Olivia Montoya, Alexis Espinoza, Laisha Diaz, Sam Montoya, Kabreya Garcia Romero and Marisol Serna. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#8 Centennial vs #9 Mayfield</strong></span> Centennial went 19-9 this season, 9-3 in district play and finished 3rd in district. This team was led by star [player_tooltip player_id="353908" first="Aspen" last="Salazar"] who averaged 14.4 points per game this season. [player_tooltip player_id="353951" first="Joslyn" last="Montez"] was the teams second leading scorer averaging 10.4 points per game this season. Mayfield secured the 9th seed by going 17-11 this season and went 8-4 in district play. [player_tooltip player_id="353748" first="Margarita" last="Salas"] led the team in scoring averaging 12.3 points this season. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#5 Las Cruces vs #12 Clovis</strong></span> The Las Cruces Bulldawgs had a solid regular season winning their district title. They went 21-7 this season and went 10-2 in district play. They were led by their scoring trio [player_tooltip player_id="353927" first="Emma" last="Christiano"], [player_tooltip player_id="353756" first="Jaci" last="Powers"] and Lila  Ashida. Emma averaged 14.5 points per game, Lila averaged 12.4 points per game and Jaci averaged 12.3 points this season. Las Cruces will be one of the favorites to win it all this season. Clovis secured the 12th seed by going 18-10 in the regular season and was led by [player_tooltip player_id="357695" first="Zarai" last="Lewis"] who led the team in scoring by averaging 12.3 points per game. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#4 Farmington vs #13 Eldorado</strong></span> Farmington went a solid 26-2 this season, went 8-2 in district play and finished second in their district. They won their district tournament championship to secure the #2 seed. They were led by one of the top players in the state, [player_tooltip player_id="353690" first="Kiiyani" last="Anitielu"] who averaged 20.2 points per game this season. [player_tooltip player_id="353913" first="Kamalani" last="Anitielu"] averaged 12.9 points per game and [player_tooltip player_id="353768" first="Audrey" last="Henderson"] averaged 12.1 points this season. Eldorado went 12-13 in the regular season, and secured the 13th seed in this years tournament. They were led by freshman [player_tooltip player_id="370329" first="Bella" last="Hines"] who averaged 22.8 points per game this season. Expect her to give Eldorado a chance in this matchup. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#3 La Cueva vs #14 Sandia</strong></span> La Cueva was one of the best teams this season with their consistent play. La Cueva went 19-6 this season, won district with a 9-1 record and secured the 3rd seed. They were led by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="357673" first="Eva" last="Love"] who averaged 13.5 points per game and senior [player_tooltip player_id="353758" first="Rylie" last="Ottmann"] who averaged 11.2 points per game this season. Carolina Romero provided solid three point shooting and [player_tooltip player_id="353899" first="Teona" last="Savic"] provided solid mid range scoring. Olivia Haddock and Alexis Ayers also gives this team depth and energy throughout ball games. Sandia has a young up and coming team on the rise to keep our eyes on for the next several years. They are led by their two freshman [player_tooltip player_id="391103" first="Sydney" last="Benally"] and [player_tooltip player_id="391104" first="Hope" last="Giddings"]. Sydney leads the team in scoring averaging 15.5 points per game and Hope is the teams second leading scorer averaging 11.3 points this season. They also have some experience and leadership led by [player_tooltip player_id="353766" first="Mariah" last="Maes"] and gets strong contributions from their other freshman Adriana Wright. This is the fourth matchup between these two district rivals. La Cueva won the series 3-0 winning the three matchups 54-25, 53-41 and 60-45. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#6 Organ Mountain vs #11 </strong></span><b><u>Albuquerque</u></b> Organ Mountain went 21-8 this season, finished second in district by going 9-3 in district play. This team was led by their scoring duo Harmanie Dominguez and [player_tooltip player_id="357650" first="Caitlin" last="Turnbow"]. Harmanie was one of the top leaders in scoring per game this season averaging 21.0 this season. Caitlin averaged 12.6 points and  8.4 rebounds per game this season. They will be a tough matchup for any team in this years tournament. Albuquerque went 20-6 this season, won their district title by going undefeated at 10-0 in district play. They were led by one of the top players in New Mexico, Lelani Love. She averaged a double-double in the regular season averaging 19.4 points and 12.4 rebounds per game this season. [player_tooltip player_id="353911" first="Ariana" last="Sanchez"] was the teams second leading scorer averaging 11.0 points this season. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#7 Carlsbad vs #10 Cleveland</strong></span> Carlsbad went 21-7 this season, 4-2 in district play and finished second in district this season. They were led by Alexa Dugan, Morgan Boatwright and Charlize Lopez. They will be one of the tournaments most underrated teams. Cleveland secured the 10th seed after going 16-11 in the regular season and 5-3 in district play. They were led by their two highly rated players [player_tooltip player_id="353780" first="Angelique" last="Abeyta"] and [player_tooltip player_id="353897" first="Allyson" last="Frank"]. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#2 Hobbs vs #15 Piedra Vista</strong></span> Hobbs went 20-7 during the regular season, won their district title by going 6-0 in district play. They will be one of the early favorites to win this 5A tournament. They were led by their highly rated players [player_tooltip player_id="353776" first="Arilyn" last="Hall"], Rozlynn Ramsey, Araceli Torres, Leilani Clay and Bianca Guerra. Piedra Vista went 16-11 in the regular season and secured the 15th seed in this years tournament. They were led by their scoring trio [player_tooltip player_id="353695" first="Lanae" last="Billy"], Andreanna Eaton and Doniah Gruber. [player_tooltip player_id="353695" first="Lanae" last="Billy"] averaged  20.9 points per game, Andreanna Eaton averaged  12.2 points per game and Doniah Gruber averaged 10.2 points this season. They should be a tough matchup for Hobbs.