Borderland Top Weekly Performers

Borderland basketball is in full force with El Paso programs in the midst of important district games, while the Southern New Mexico programs are closing out their non-district schedule. Here are some of the top Borderland standout performers from this past week.    It was my first time seeing this kid play in person, and to no surprise, I was impressed. A prospect with Gulley on the back of an Andress jersey does come with expectations, given that her older brother was an excellent player from the class of 2024. In a Tuesday night matchup against her team's bitter Northeast rival--Chapin High School--she scored a team-high 11 points. Gulley has become accustomed to being her team's leading scorer, and Tuesday night was no different. She has one of the quickest first steps off the dribble in the girl's game and reliably handles the rock for a younger Andress squad. Gianna is living up to the Gulley name.     I watched [player_tooltip player_id='949579' first='Jasmine' last='Blake'] play twice this past week and was immensely impressed by her strides this season. Putting numbers aside, her energy, intensity, and motor all game long are impressive. She's one of the best athletes the girls' game has to offer and is a blur with the ball in her hands. Blake just strides by defenders in the open court. More importantly, she led Chapin to two pivotal district wins, with their Friday win coming against a talented, well-coached Burges squad. Blake is undoubtedly one of the most valuable players in the Borderland who does just about everything on the court, offensively and defensively. Moreover, she has some moldable talent, which should make her a coveted prospect at the next level; the potential is there with his kid.     On the outskirts of El Paso County, a freshman at San Elizario is putting up some big numbers. She's been doing it all season and again this past week. Jazlyn Hernandez scored a game-high 24 points in a district win on Tuesday and followed it up with another game-high 27 points on Friday night win. She's averaging just a shade under 20 points per game in the month of January and can fill it up from the perimeter. In the long run, this kid has the potential to be one of the best players in the Borderland region.     One of the city's best shooters kept her hot streak going this week, scoring 43 points and hitting eight 3-pointers in two games. On the season, she is shooting 32 percent from three, but I would bet my last dollar she is hovering around, if not at 40 percent, from the corner pockets. She is just about automatic from the wing/corner areas of the floor and is shooting 52.2 percent from three in January. The uptick in percentage is coming at a great time as Eastwood enters the backhalf of their district schedule. Note to Eastwood opponents: do not let this kid get open on the perimeter.     Admittedly, this kid was not on my radar in preseason, nor was she through the season's first quarter. I watched Eastwood's Friday home game back on tape and was impressed with her contribution coming off the bench for the Troopers. She scored 11 points in a home win against Eastlake on senior night, with eight straight points late in the second quarter to break the game open. With every game, it seems like she is playing with more confidence as her role expands. She also scored a career-high 17 points last Tuesday, indicating her game is trending in the right direction to cap her sophomore season.     I saw Vanessa Mora play in a home district game Friday night. The game was in a playoff atmosphere and had important district-seeding implications. She scored 14 points and hit four 3-pointers--one in each quarter--with every make as timely as the next. It was an efficient clutch performance from Mora in Chapin's biggest win of the season. The Huskies remain undefeated at 5-0 in district play and are now the favorites to win the 1-5A girls' title after beating Burges High School at home. Their February 4th rematch will be pivotal.     Montwood came away with another impressive double-digit win against Franklin High School this past Friday, leaving no doubt in that matchup. Mia Hairston scored a team-high 15 points for her 16th double-digit scoring effort on the season. She's the best player on a talented program loaded with 2026 prospects. Montwood has already equaled their win total from last season and is on pace to win 20 games for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Prospects like Hairston have a lot to do with the turnaround Montwood is in the midst of.

Borderland basketball is in full force with El Paso programs in the midst of important district games, while the Southern New Mexico programs are closing out their non-district schedule. Here are some of the top Borderland standout performers from this past week.