2024 State Championships: Elite Eight Preview

The 2024 Nusenda Credit Union Girls Basketball State Championships has now reached the quarterfinal round, resulting in the remaining teams from both the 5A and 4A levels moving one step closer to a Blue trophy.   The Elite Eight features matchups between programs filled with talented players and game-changers.   Here is the full Elite Eight schedule — matchups and times — for Tuesday.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">TIME | CLASS | MATCHUP</h4>   8 a.m. | 4A | No. 3 Artesia vs No. 11 Deming   Deming got the upset win over No. 6 Albuquerque Academy, 56-35, in the Round of 16. The Wildcats, led by [player_tooltip player_id='888493' first='Jacqueline' last='Aguayo']'s 22 points, were the only team double digit seed in 4A to get a road win.   As for the Bulldogs, they defeated No. 14 Silver 61-33, at home. Artesia's [player_tooltip player_id='878754' first='Lorin' last='Wagner'], [player_tooltip player_id='888506' first='Hattie' last='Harrison'] and [player_tooltip player_id='893566' first='Kailee' last='Padilla'] are players to watch as each can take over for stretches in a game.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   9:45 a.m. | 5A | No. 5 Mayfield vs No. 4 Volcano Vista   Mayfield dug deep and held on to advance to the Elite Eight, with a 31-28 win over No. 12 Clovis in the opening round. Forward [player_tooltip player_id='648234' first='Ceanna' last='McKines'] registered a Double-Double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Question is, can she do it again against the best big in the State, [player_tooltip player_id='357657' first='Taejhuan' last='Hill']? Hill is the senior leader for No. 4 Volcano Vista, who are fresh off a 75-47 (W) over No. 13 Cleveland.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   11:30 a.m. | 4A | No. 7 Bloomfield vs No. 2 SPX   The Bobcats had two players — [player_tooltip player_id='391243' first='Aliya' last='Quintana'] and [player_tooltip player_id='357656' first='Danielle' last='Johnson'] — log Double-Doubles in the opening round. Quintana posted 18 points and 12 rebounds while Johnson totaled 14 points and 10 rebounds. Together the pair went 14/31 from the field leading Bloomfield to a 49-35 (W) vs No. 10 Los Alamos   SPX's dynamic duo of [player_tooltip player_id='385929' first='Alyssa' last='Maes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='458557' first='Catalina' last='Anaya'] proved to be too much, as the No. 2 Sartans defeated the No. 15 Sundevils, 59-29. The backcourt tandem combined for 34 points, scoring 17 apiece.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   1:15 p.m. | 5A | No. 7 Eldorado vs No. 2 Sandia   [player_tooltip player_id='391103' first='Sydney' last='Benally'] went bonkers in the Matadors Round of 16 win vs the tigers, logging a game-high 36 points. The junior PG went 15/20 from the field, including going 4/5 behind the arc. Benally also recorded 6 assists and 5 steals in Sandia's 83-44 win vs No. 15 Alamogordo   Eldorado allowed just 4 FG in the second half of their Round of 16 match against No. 10 AHS. Forward Chioma Holyfield led the way for Eldorado with a game-high 17 points and 9 rebounds, going a perfect 8/8 from the field. [player_tooltip player_id='370329' first='Bella' last='Hines'] chipped in with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   3 p.m. | 4A | No. 5 Portales vs No. 4 Gallup   Each club will enter Tuesday's matchup with 20 or more wins overall. The Rams (20-8) and the Bengals (22-8) each have players capable of winning and dominating their individual matchups at their respective positions. For Portales, it is the versatile [player_tooltip player_id='1054264' first='Myleigh' last='Banda'], who is a lefty SG listed at 5'8" that can alter and block shots at a high level. For Gallup, it is their All-State Center [player_tooltip player_id='467051' first='Rylie' last='Whitehair']; A bruiser in the interior who also has touch from the midrange.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   4:45 p.m. | 5A | No. 3 Farmington vs No. 6 Organ Mountain   It was another great outing for the Anitielu sisters as the pair dominated vs No. 14 Los Lunas. [player_tooltip player_id='648195' first='Kjani' last='Anitielu'] had 22 points (3PT: 5/6) 6 rebounds and 5 steals while [player_tooltip player_id='391245' first='Kapiolani' last='Anitielu'] had a cool 18 points 7 rebounds and 6 steals in the 75-45 win.   Can Farmington repeat their success from earlier this season? On 12/16, the Knights made just one 3-pointer and took 5 altogether, as the Scorpions won 61-50. In that game, senior [player_tooltip player_id='357694' first='Yvanna' last='Villareal'] scored a team-high 17 points for OM but was held without an assist, a rare occurrence.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   6:30 p.m. | 4A | No. 1 Kirtland Central vs No. 8 Valencia   The Broncos held the No. 16 Tigers to 29 percent shooting (FG: 11/38) and forced 32 turnovers in their 57-25 opening round win. KC sits at 26-3 overall with several playmakers on their roster ([player_tooltip player_id='1068199' first='Allyson' last='Tsosie'] and [player_tooltip player_id='635350' first='Emilia' last='Clani'])   In a OT thriller, Valencia defeated No. 9 Lovington, 55-52 in the Round of 16. The Jaguars overcame a 7-point halftime deficit thanks to the tremendous play from [player_tooltip player_id='391108' first='Jadyn' last='Montoya'] and the Montgomery siblings -- [player_tooltip player_id='648209' first='Jaiden' last='Montgomery'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1262030' first='Eden' last='Montgomery'] -- propelling Valencia into the Elite Eight.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   8:15 p.m. | 5A | No. 1 Hobbs vs No. 8 La Cueva   As expected, Hobbs -- the top overall seed -- defeated No. 16 Las Cruces 68-29, in the Round of 16. [player_tooltip player_id='458555' first='Bhret' last='Clay'], [player_tooltip player_id='458556' first='Brynn' last='Hargrove'], [player_tooltip player_id='467055' first='Nakia' last='Mojica'], [player_tooltip player_id='467050' first='Kyndle' last='Cunningham'], [player_tooltip player_id='831118' first='Aliana' last='Armitage'], [player_tooltip player_id='467052' first='Carolina' last='Saiz'] and [player_tooltip player_id='467053' first='Jayla' last='David'] have been phenomenal all season long and are arguably the most skilled 7-player rotation there is.   As for La Cueva, the dynamic duo of [player_tooltip player_id='357673' first='Eva' last='Love'] & [player_tooltip player_id='648191' first='Jordyn' last='Dyer'] combined for 44 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists and 8 steals in the Bears 66-50 (W) vs No. 9 Rio Rancho.   This is a must-see rematch from the Metro Tournament -- Bears defeated the Eagles 57-54.

The 2024 Nusenda Credit Union Girls Basketball State Championships has now reached the quarterfinal round, resulting in the remaining teams from both the 5A and 4A levels moving one step closer to a Blue trophy.