Bears defeat the Bulldogs 60-53 behind Dyer’s 22 points

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.</em> — The La Cueva Bears open the 2024-25 season with a come from behind victory at home.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Monday night meeting was a fast tempo game with both sides utilizing a shortened rotation.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>La Cueva led 7-6 at the 4:19 mark in the first quarter and did not regain the lead until the 5:11 mark in the fourth quarter when it was 49-46.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bears junior trio of [player_tooltip player_id='648191' first='Jordyn' last='Dyer'], [player_tooltip player_id='828814' first='Paz' last='Romero'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1221624' first='Kali' last='Burtenshaw'] all reached double-figures, impacting the game both inside and outside the arc.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dyer, the no. 1 ranked player in the 2026 class for NM, finished with a game-high 22 points. Despite early foul trouble in the first half, the dynamic shooting-guard was still able to get to her spots and make incredible plays. Whenever La Cueva needed a score, it seemed Dyer was the one to deliver. The junior continuously utilized her length to shoot over opposing defenders and her speed off the dribble to penetrate the lane.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Romero connected from distance on three occasions, with all of them coming in the second half. The sharpshooters biggest trey of the night helped extend the Bears lead to four (52-48) with 4:41 left in the game. Romero was able to knock down the catch and shoot three-pointer from the top of the key. In all, Romero tallied 13 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lastly Burtenshaw chipped in with a crucial 10 points, scoring in a variety of ways. Burtenshaw was able to post-up, get to the cup off the bounce and hit the trey ball from the corner. Moreover, Burtenshaw's effort really stood out, particularly when defending the pick'n'roll. The ability to hedge ball-screens and recover on the dive, was impressive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As for the Bulldogs, three players reached double-figures but it was junior shooting-guard [player_tooltip player_id='648201' first='Lailah' last='Bouldin'] who led the way. Bouldin had a team-high 12 points, with eight coming in the third quarter. The 5'5" shooting-guard made a valiant effort to attack the basket, resulting in multiple trips to the foul-line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='828809' first='Kaelynn' last='Ashley'], who had 10 points, provided Coach Morrison with relief points around the basketball and a presence on the glass.&nbsp;Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='839434' first='Zaiyah' last='Hawley'] also posted 10 points for the Bulldogs. Thrice Hawley hit from deep-range, the only Bulldog player other than Bouldin to do so.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Newcomer, Abrielle Pavia turned some heads with her handle and ability to create off the bounce. Pavia is crafty and does a good job of shielding defenders with her body when going to the basket. The 2029 point-guard finished with six points in her debut.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NEXT UP:&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>La Cueva (1-0) @ SPX (0-0) on 12/5 | 7 p.m.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Albuquerque High School (0-1) @ Volcano Vista (0-0) on 12/3 | 7 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Coupon Code</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Enter code at checkout and receive $10 off your registration!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Code:&nbsp;<strong><em>MartinezPGH2024</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->