Lady Eagles not fazed by injuries

<p class="has-medium-font-size">The Hobbs Lady Eagles have been perennial title contenders for years and that should not change despite injuries to several players. Combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='557012' first='Wisdom' last='Anthony'], arguably a top 10 talent in the State, was just a year removed from a knee injury when it plagued her once again early this season. Anthony unfortunately suffered a torn acl and will miss the remainder of her Senior year. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='467052' first='Carolina' last='Saiz'] has also been ruled out with a knee injury, thanks to a torn acl suffered in June, shortening the depth for the Eagles. However, according to sources, both the Lady Eagles and Saiz are optimistic that she will return towards the end of the season, "Hopefully we can get her back before the playoffs." </p>   <p class="has-medium-font-size">Even with a shortened rotation and the departure of All-State forward Aniya Joseph, Hobbs still appears to be the favorites for the 5A Title. The Lady Eagles have a dynamic back court duo in sophomore guards, [player_tooltip player_id='458555' first='Bhret' last='Clay'] & [player_tooltip player_id='458556' first='Brynn' last='Hargrove']. Each can put the ball in the basket with ease and both do a good job of playing within the flow of the game. They also have presence in the interior with sophomore forwards, [player_tooltip player_id='467050' first='Kyndle' last='Cunningham'] & [player_tooltip player_id='467053' first='Jayla' last='David'], who bring toughness and grit making the team very well rounded on both ends of the court.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <figure class="wp-block-embed alignleft is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/_NMAA/status/1612932968997347329 </div></figure>   <p class="has-medium-font-size">The Lady Eagles (16-2) are having an impressive season so far -- Their only losses were against teams from out of state and versus programs who are currently boasting a record of 18+ wins as of 1/9/23. Cooper HS (18-5) from Lubbock: #14 in Texas, #4 in Texas 5A | United HS (20-5) from Laredo: #51 in Texas, #25 in Texas 6A -- Head Coach Joe Carpenter currently has his club ranked #1 in 5A according to MaxPreps. </p>   <h2>The Lady Eagles have notable wins over:</h2>   <ul> <li>Centennial (8-5): 54-49, a non-district away game on 12/16</li>   <li>#9 Organ Mountain (10-4) X2: 76-49 on 12/17, a non-district away game & 59-30 on 12/29, a 2nd round tournament game from the <em>HHT (Hobbs Holiday Tournament)</em></li>   <li>#4 Sandia (11-2): 66-57 on 1/7, the championship game of the <em>APS Metro Tournament</em></li>   <li>#7 Las Cruces (10-4): 77-55 on 1/10, a non-district home game. </li> </ul>   <p class="has-medium-font-size">Each of the aforementioned teams are expected to battle for a top eight seed come playoff time, meaning these programs would get a first round home game for the State Tournament and not have to travel initially. </p>   <p></p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="has-text-align-center">Midseason Tournaments</h2>   <p class="has-medium-font-size">Hobbs has also claimed multiple in-season tournament titles, the <em>Joe Armendarez Capital City Tournament</em> in early December & the <em>APS</em> <em>Metro Tournament</em> this past weekend, allowing them to size up the northern competition. The Lady Eagles also claimed a 2nd place finish at the fifth annual <em>Hobbs Holiday Tournament</em> in late December. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/RustyJames83/status/1601851135765057536 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/athletics_aps/status/1611884449654018050 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <p class="has-text-align-left has-medium-font-size">For the <em>APS Metro tournament</em>, Hobbs went 4-0 with wins over Rio Rancho, La Cueva, West Mesa & Sandia. The Lady Eagles defeated the RR Rams by 27 points in the first round (64-37), Then easily handled the shorthanded LC Bears by 22 (53-31) in the quarterfinals who were without their star guard, [player_tooltip player_id='357673' first='Eva' last='Love'] due to an ankle/foot injury. </p>   <p class="has-medium-font-size">Next up was a semifinal matchup versus the WM Mustangs, which in itself has a bit of history. In 2019, the West Mesa Mustangs won the State Tournament by defeating Hobbs in the Pit, but this time it was a total domination by the Eagles up at Atrisco Heritage Academy as they won by 39 points. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/mattmtz108/status/1611540136478781442 </div></figure>   <p class="has-medium-font-size">In the Championship game, the Eagles defeated the Matadors by 11 points securing history as the first ever non Albuquerque team to win the Metro Tournament. Adding to the impressive feat, the tournament win came in their very first year of participation! At Halftime, Hobbs was down one point, 31-30 but ultimately overwhelmed Sandia in the final 16 minutes of play. The Lady Eagles, outscored the Lady Matadors 14-1 in the 3rd quarter not allowing a point until the closing seconds after Sandia's [player_tooltip player_id='391103' first='Sydney' last='Benally'] split a pair of FT's. </p>   <p class="has-medium-font-size">The versatility that Hobbs possesses is really the difference maker. They have a fast guard that can handle the ball and shoot lights out in Hargrove; A big physical wing player who is a mismatch in Clay; High energy, glass cleaning, rim runners in David & Cunningham; AND a supporting cast of tough players such as [player_tooltip player_id='467055' first='Nakia' last='Mojica'], Kacelynn Munniez & Matysen Zepeda that all contribute meaningful minutes with timely buckets, rebounds, and passes.</p>   <p class="has-medium-font-size">Under Head coach Joe Carpenter, the Eagles have gone to five straight title games (2018-2022) and have come away with two State Championships, 2018 & 2020. With a roster comprised of mostly underclassman, Hobbs has a very good chance of extending their streak of reaching the title game, for another two to three seasons when it is all said and done, including this season. </p>   <p></p>

The Hobbs Lady Eagles have been perennial title contenders for years and that should not change despite injuries to several players. Combo guard Wisdom Anthony Wisdom Anthony CG Hobbs | 2023 State NM , arguably a top 10 talent in the State, was just a year removed from a knee injury when it plagued her once again early this season. Anthony unfortunately suffered a torn acl and will miss the remainder of her Senior year. Sophomore guard Carolina Saiz Carolina Saiz 5'5" | SG Hobbs | 2025 State NM has also been ruled out with a knee injury, thanks to a torn acl suffered in June, shortening the depth for the Eagles. However, according to sources, both the Lady Eagles and Saiz are optimistic that she will return towards the end of the season, "Hopefully we can get her back before the playoffs."