Area Breakdowns: Top Shooters in Northern NM

The “Area Breakdown” Series is a new sub-column to the Class Rankings that takes a further look into specific regions of States or Cities, filled with intriguing players whos qualities on the court, are hard to ignore!   For area purposes and article formatting, the starting points will be Gallup, Santa Fe, Santa Rosa, & Tucumcari, and of course everywhere north of those parts – There are several characteristics for this list, including, but not limited to, Total Points Scored, PPG, FGM, 3PM, 3P%.    When assessing a shooter, there are typically three "boxes" or attributes a player must check off or possess in order to be considered a Top Shooter in the Basketball Community. Those boxes/attributes are usually as followed: 1- the ability to get open: Does the player get enough or any separation from opposing defenders, ex when coming off of screens such as pin downs, curls, flares | 2- the shooting motion and form: Does the player have consistent mechanics, ex arc, balance, lift, rotation | 3- the shooting percentages: Does the player have proficient shooting percentages from the field, ex FG% 3P% FT%.   *This article ranking is based solely on “Shooting” ability – Ranking is not a pure indication of overall talent for Class Level or Grade Year*   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   #1    [player_tooltip player_id='391175' first='Alexus' last='Lafferty'] is a versatile shooting guard that earned a 2A: All-State 2nd Team selection for the Tucumcari Lady Rattlers, a season ago. Lafferty, who appeared in only 22 games, scored close to 350 Total Points on the year, averaging over 15 ppg. Out of all returning players for the upcoming winter 22-23 season, Lafferty ranks 4th in the entire state amongst the best 3pt shooters, thanks to her 63 made 3s. Lafferty will look to lead the Lady Rattlers to the playoffs once again and continue putting up superb numbers.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   #2    Kamalani is a terrific Point Guard who stretches the floor for the Farmington Lady Scorpions. Anitielu appeared in 28 games, scoring over 350+ Total Points while connecting on 50 three pointers, primarily in catch & shoot situations. Kamalani earned a 5A: All-State 2nd Team Selection thanks to her stellar play this last season and will now look to take on a bigger workload for her Senior year.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   #3    [player_tooltip player_id='391105' first='Caylee' last='Benavidez'] is a promising underclassman who appeared in 24 games at the varsity level for Tucumcari HS. Benavidez, is a double digit scorer, who is just north of 11 ppg. Caylee formed a nice duo alongside [player_tooltip player_id='391175' first='Alexus' last='Lafferty'] as a reliable second option that connected on 36 total 3s on the year. The expectation is that Benavidez can and will take a big step this upcoming season for the Lady Rattlers.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   #4    [player_tooltip player_id='458569' first='Ciprianna' last='Garcia'] was one of two players from Escalante HS to earn an All-State First Team Selection at the 2A Level in 2022. Garcia is a rhythm shooter that plays with a lot of confidence. Ciprianna has a smooth jump shot, both behind the arc, and in the midrange making her hard to defend. Ciprianna should be a lock for another All-State Selection for her upcoming season year and will look to help Escalante get back to the Title Game in 2A.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   #5    [player_tooltip player_id='353930' first='Daelyn' last='Pacheco'] is an intriguing player that is flying under the radar; Pacheco scored 250+ Total Points for Santa Rosa who made the 2A State Playoffs as the #7 overall seed. Daelyn finished her Junior Year with 38 made 3s in 26 games played. Daelyn has a very good chance of increasing her production going into her Senior Year and is only one of a handful of players capable of connecting on 40+ threes on a season.

The “Area Breakdown” Series is a new sub-column to the Class Rankings that takes a further look into specific regions of States or Cities, filled with intriguing players whos qualities on the court, are hard to ignore!