Team Preview: La Cueva
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The La Cueva Girls had a solid season last year in 2021-22. They made it to the Metro Championship in January during the in-season tournament. The Bears won the 5A-District 2 Title and lost the district tournament championship to Farmington.…
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Continue ReadingThe La Cueva Girls had a solid season last year in 2021-22. They made it to the Metro Championship in January during the in-season tournament. The Bears won the 5A-District 2 Title and lost the district tournament championship to Farmington. They secured the #3 seed in the 5A State Playoffs. In the First Round they defeated #14 Sandia 41-32 at home. Then in the 5A Quarterfinals they defeated #6 Organ Mountain 61-53 to advance to the 5A State Semifinals at “The Pit”. In the 5A Semifinals, the Bears season came to an end vs #2 Hobbs in a low scoring 41-39 loss. All in all, it was a successful season for the Bears last year.
5A Class
Disttrict-2: Eldorado, Farmington, La Cueva, Piedra Vista, Sandia and West Mesa.
Key Losses: Rylie Ottmann, Carolina Romero and Teona Savic.
Key Additions: Jordyn Dyer (Incoming Freshman).
Returning Varsity Players: Olivia Haddock Olivia Haddock CG La Cueva | 2023 State NM , Karleigh Gutierrez Karleigh Gutierrez 5'7" | CG La Cueva | 2023 State NM , Alexis Ayers Alexis Ayers 5'5" | CG La Cueva | 2023 State NM , Eva Love Eva Love 5'9" | SG La Cueva | 2024 State NM , Antonya Lucero and Ally Lyle.
Analysis: Despite losing three varsity starters last season that were instrumental to the Bears program the last few years, La Cueva will still be in the mix for a 5A State Title. The team will be led by their star shooting guard Eva Love Eva Love 5'9" | SG La Cueva | 2024 State NM . Any conversation regarding the best players in the state needs to include her in that discussion. She has multiple offers to play at the next level, a good teammate and a freak athlete. Eva Love Eva Love 5'9" | SG La Cueva | 2024 State NM can take over a game in a blink of an eye. Olivia Haddock Olivia Haddock CG La Cueva | 2023 State NM is a returning starter from last season and became a good defender last year. She has become an offensive threat to keep your eyes on. Alexis Ayers Alexis Ayers 5'5" | CG La Cueva | 2023 State NM will be the teams point guard this season and sees the floor well. She is flashy, hustles for loose balls and was a clutch shooter for the Bears last season. Karleigh Gutierrez Karleigh Gutierrez 5'7" | CG La Cueva | 2023 State NM is a perfect mix of streetball and fundamental basketball. She is a physical player who holds her own with the opposition. Karleigh plays with a motor on defense and has a nice mid-range game. Antonya Lucero is very athletic, a good three-point shooter and has improved on her handles. Ally Lyle floated on JV last year and will play a bigger role this season. She is a good leader on the floor and great at distributing the basketball. The team’s expectations are to take it one game at a time, win the Las Cruces Tournament, Metro Tournament, District Tournament and the State Tournament. I am a huge fan of Head Coach Marisa Cogan and her basketball program. I believe she is the only right person for this job. I fully expect the Bears to be one of the top teams again this season and a serious threat to raise that blue trophy.
Roster: Olivia Haddock Olivia Haddock CG La Cueva | 2023 State NM , Karleigh Gutierrez Karleigh Gutierrez 5'7" | CG La Cueva | 2023 State NM , Alexis Ayers Alexis Ayers 5'5" | CG La Cueva | 2023 State NM , Eva Love Eva Love 5'9" | SG La Cueva | 2024 State NM , Antonya Lucero, Jordan Dyer and Ally Lyle.
Head Coach: Marisa Cogan