Elite Eight Recap, Final Four Bound Teams
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With the Final Four now determined for the 2024 Nusenda Credit Union Girls Basketball State Championships, let’s recap the Quarterfinal Round or Elite Eight for the 5A and 4A levels. 4A MATCHUPS No. 3 Artesia rallies to defeat No. 11…
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Continue ReadingWith the Final Four now determined for the 2024 Nusenda Credit Union Girls Basketball State Championships, let’s recap the Quarterfinal Round or Elite Eight for the 5A and 4A levels.
4A MATCHUPS
No. 3 Artesia rallies to defeat No. 11 Deming 47-39
The first game of the quarterfinal round got off to a slow start, especially for Artesia. However the Bulldogs bounced back and found their groove. The Bulldogs closed the 2nd quarter on a 10-2 run, taking a six point lead into the half (21-15). Artesia stuck with the game-plan and made an emphasis on getting the ball inside. The Bulldogs outscored the Wildcats 24-14 in Paint-Points and more than doubled their free-throw attempts (Artesia: 17/29 | Deming: 9/13)
Lorin Wagner Lorin Wagner 6'0" | C Artesia | 2024 State NM had a game-high 15 points and was an absolute force in the interior. The 6’0” senior was clogging up the lane on defense, grabbing rebounds and punishing opposing defender on the block.
No. 4 Gallup takes down No. 5 Portales 66-56
Despite being down 13 at the break, Portales entered the 4th trailing by just 3. Just as the momentum shifted to the Rams, it went back to the Bengals. Gallup outscored Portales 19-12 in the final period, punching their ticket to the Final Four.
Rylie Whitehair Rylie Whitehair 6'2" | C Gallup | 2025 State NM totaled 20 points and 11 rebounds, scoring both inside and outside the arc. Whitehair has no problem stepping out and hitting the 3ball (top of the key) but thrives down low using power dribbles and drop steps. Adriell Thomas chipped in with 11 points and 5 assists but her biggest contribution was putting the nail in the coffin with her free-throws (7/10).
Sartans survive in OT 40-36
With 6:23 left in the 4th quarter, SPX trailed by seven points (30-23) and just saw SG Alyssa Maes Alyssa Maes 5'8" | SG St. Pius X | 2024 State NM pick up her fourth foul. The Sartans were able to string together multiple stops and tied the game with 31.2 seconds remaining thanks to a pair of free-throws by Catalina Anaya Catalina Anaya 5'5" | PG St, Pius X | 2025 State NM which ultimately forced OT. Anaya finished with 8 points, 6 assists, 7 steals and 10 rebounds, 9 of which were offensive! Alyssa Maes Alyssa Maes 5'8" | SG St. Pius X | 2024 State NM had a team-high 14 points (FG: 4/16) and 8 rebounds while Forward Macy Freeze Macy Freeze 6'0" | PF St. Pius X | 2025 State NM logged a Double-Double with 10 points and 10 boards.
Broncos cruise past Jaguars 50-34
Kirtland Central moves to 27-3 on the season after getting the 16 point win over Valencia Tuesday night. The No. 1 Broncos held the No. 8 Jaguars to 26.2 percent from the field, limiting Valencia to just two makes from behind the arc on 17 attempts. As for the Broncos, they shot 44.4 percent from deep, going 4/9.
Keira Beal-Gleason led the Broncos with 15 points and 7 rebounds. The Senior was outstanding with her cuts to the basket and did a great job attacking close outs.
5A MATCHUPS
No. 4 Volcano defeats No. 5 Mayfield; Villarreal gets 400th career Win
The first 5A quarterfinal matchup was a definitely a hard fought game. Both teams shot below 20 percent from the field (Mayfield: 11/57 | Volcano: 10/59) and had a tough time getting any sort of relief points.
When the Hawks needed a play to be made it was their seniors who stepped up. Lilliana Duncan Lilliana Duncan 5'7" | SF Volcano Vista | 2024 State NM had a team-high 10 points and Taejhuan Hill Taejhuan Hill 5'11" | C Volcano Vista | 2024 State NM who was absolute beast on the glass, finished with 23 rebounds, scoring 8 points.
Sydney and Kaiyah Benally power Sandia past Eldorado 64-40
This midday matchup was arguably the most anticipated game of the Elite Eight, as it featured the top two players from the class of 2025, Sandia’s Sydney Benally Sydney Benally 5'9" | PG Sandia | 2025 State NM and Eldorado’s Bella Hines Bella Hines 5'10" | CG Eldorado | 2025 State NM
The Eagles came out swinging but the Matadors stayed poised. After 8 minutes of action, the game was tied 16-16. Over the next three quarters, Sandia outscored Eldorado 48-24, ultimately getting the 24-point victory.
Sydney Benally Sydney Benally 5'9" | PG Sandia | 2025 State NM had a game-high 21 points and was feeling it from distance. The junior PG was on fire in catch & shoot situations, going 5/6. Younger Sibling Kaiyah — an 8th grader — had 16 points off the bench, going 6/7 from the field. Kaiyah has an elite handle for her age and is very shifty.
As for Hines, the star CG finished with 20 points and saw ‘box-and 1′ coverage all night with constant blitzes and traps sent her way.
Farmington takes down Organ Mountain 65-31
Farmington continued their stellar play dominating Organ Mountain on both ends of the floor. The Scorpions held the Knights to just 10 field-goals and outscored OM in both Fast-Break Points (22-0!) and Paint-Points (52-16!).
Four players reached double-figures highlighted by
Kapiolani Anitielu
Kapiolani
Anitielu
5'10" | SF
Farmington | 2024
State
NM
‘s game-high 21 points. Kapiolani also had 8 assists and 7 steals. Younger sister Kjani was cooking early on, getting to her spots off the dribble, eventually finishing with 14 points. Guard
Caris Dale
Caris
Dale
5'7" | SF
Farmington | 2026
State
NM
tallied 14, cashing in on 3s and fast break layups.
Ayana Toledo
Ayana
Toledo
C
Farmington | 2025
State
NM
who had 10, went 4/6 from the floor.
Clay’s 19 leads Hobbs past La Cueva 68-44
Capping off the evening was the highly anticipated rematch between No. 1 Hobbs and No. 8 La Cueva. The teams met earlier in the season which resulted in a Bears win. This was a physical QF game that saw 4 technical fouls and a combined 48 free-throw attempts.
Hobbs led for 26 minutes and had four players in double-figures. Bhret Clay Bhret Clay 5'9" | SG Hobbs | 2025 State NM had a team-high 19 points capitalizing on free-throws and driving layups. Kyndle Cunningham Kyndle Cunningham 6'0" | PF Hobbs | 2025 State NM and Brynn Hargrove Brynn Hargrove 5'6" | PG Hobbs | 2025 State NM each had 11 but got theirs in different ways; Cunningham did her damage around the rim while Hargrove connected on three 3’s. Nakia Mojica Nakia Mojica 5'6" | CG Hobbs | 2025 State NM had a quiet 10 points but she dished out 6 assists, getting her teammates quality looks.
FINAL FOUR MATCHUPS
4A: No. 3 Artesia vs No. 2 SPX @ 8 a.m. | No. 1 Kirtland Central vs No. 4 Gallup @ 11:30 a.m.
Bulldogs (22-6) vs Sartans (24-3) | Bengals (23-8) Broncos (27-3)
5A: No. 3 Farmington vs No. 2 Sandia @ 9:45 a.m. | No. 1 Hobbs vs No. 4 Volcano Vista @ 1:15 p.m.
Scorpions (26-4) vs Matadors (26-3) | Eagles (26-3) vs Hawks (23-5)