Championship Friday: 4A, 3A and 2A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The <em>2023 Nusenda Credit Union Girls Basketball Championships</em> have now reached the final game(s) of the tournament. The last hoorah, the game that decides who is the best team! Three of the five classes on the Girls side will crown a champion on Friday (3/10) while the other two will be crowned on Saturday (3/11). Here is a brief recap and analysis</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>4A Championship: #1 Kirtland Central vs #2 Gallup on 3/10 @ 7p</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 overall seed, Kirtland Central, trailed early on 10-6 vs Hope Christian but eventually led 23-19 at halftime &amp; 32-27 after the 3rd Quarter. The Broncos went on to win, 53-35, advancing to the 4A title game for the second straight season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aaryanna Lansing led the way with 13 points on 6/15 shooting, collecting seven rebounds. Guards Emilia Clani &amp; Teghan Begay each had 12 points and four rebounds.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest differences in the game&nbsp;&nbsp;were, the production from each of the teams respective benches &amp; the limited shot making . The Broncos outscored the #4 Huskies, 9-0 in that department which allowed KC to establish more confidence.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Only three players scored for Hope - Charlotte Bitsoih who had a game high 15 points (three 3s) [player_tooltip player_id='391172' first='Kathleen' last='Obisike'] who had a 14 points &amp; 16 rebounds (back to back DBL-DBLs) &amp; [player_tooltip player_id='391174' first='Alyssa' last='Vigil'], who had all six of her points come in the 2nd half. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up is District rival, the second seeded, Gallup Bengals who they will face for a fifth time this season! The season series is tied 2-2!&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The #2 Bengals outgunned &amp; outmatched the #3 Lady Sartans, cruising to a 68-49 win. Gallup nearly had four players in double figure - Kiera Livingston went 3/5 from downtown finishing with 13 points. [player_tooltip player_id='458571' first='Daliyah' last='Morris'] finished with another all-around performance totaling 11 points four rebounds and four steals. [player_tooltip player_id='467051' first='Rylie' last='Whitehair'] had 11 points on 3/4 FGs. [player_tooltip player_id='901165' first='Kayden' last='Tsosie'] had nine points and seven rebounds in less than 13 minutes of action!&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gallup's full court press is relentless and is suffocating. Over their last two games, Gallup has forced an incredible 54 turnovers!!! 54 turnovers in 64 minutes of game time.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pit is expected to be packed and loud which could be viewed as an understatement. This game is must see!! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>3A Championship: #3 SFIS vs #4 Tohatchi on 3/10 @ 3p</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The #4 Lady Cougars defeated 3As top team, the Robertson Cardinals after a fourth quarter explosion. Tohatchi outscored their counterpart 16-5, resulting in a 51-39 upset! Tohatchi's “BIG 3”, combined for 46 points! [player_tooltip player_id='560952' first='Brooke' last='Badonie'] had a game-high 21 points (10/14 FTs) [player_tooltip player_id='565810' first='WynterRose' last='Sheka'] totaled 14 points while [player_tooltip player_id='560954' first='Kiana' last='Bia'] had 11.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They will meet #3 Santa Fe Indian School in the title game, who are led by Head Coach Teri Morrison. The Lady Braves defeated #2 Navajo Prep, 37-29 behind 13 points from [player_tooltip player_id='353915' first='Jordyn' last='Henry'] who went 6/7 from the field. Neither team shot the 3ball particularly well but SFIS did outscore Navajo Prep from the charity stripe, 9-2 with nine more attempts alone. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>2A Championship: #1 Escalante vs #7 Texico on 3/10 @ 5p</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lady Lobos are back in the title game for the second consecutive season as the top seed in 2A. They are led by [player_tooltip player_id='458572' first='Brycelyn' last='Martinez'] who has put up, back-to-back 15 &amp; 10  games (points &amp; rebounds): A game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds vs Clayton in the QF's then 17 points, 11 rebounds vs Capitan in SF's. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the title game taking on Escalante, is #7 Texico. They defeated Laguna Acoma, 45-41 and are the lowest remaining seed in the State tournament, regardless of class level on the Girls side. [player_tooltip player_id='1218206' first='Gianna' last='Carrillo'] led the way with 15 points going 7/10 from the free-throw line. Sylvia Gedman had a monstrous performance registering 11 points and 20 rebounds! Collecting 10 on the offensive glass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->