Hobbs Eagles Upset Defending Champs in Season Opener

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>HOBBS, N.M.</em> — On a crisp opening night in New Mexico high school basketball, the Hobbs Eagles pulled off a statement win, knocking off the two-time defending 5A state champion Sandia Matadors 49-39 in a gritty, defensive battle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The backstory added extra juice to this matchup. Sandia hoisted the trophy the last two years, including a 47-38 victory over these same Eagles in the 2025 title game behind a monster performance from then-freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1068188' first='Kaiyah' last='Benally'] (19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals). Hobbs, meanwhile, claimed the 2023 crown and was hungry to remind everyone they still belong at the top.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both programs graduated four starters last spring, so new faces and growing pains were guaranteed. Saturday night delivered exactly that — until Hobbs found its groove and refused to let go.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first half was classic season-opener ugliness: forced passes, missed open looks, and turnovers galore. Hobbs threw a full-court press at Sandia while sitting back in a 2-3 zone; the Matadors answered with aggressive man-to-man. Neither team could buy a bucket early, but Sandia's ball movement carved out some clean looks in the lane. They just couldn't finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game stayed knotted at 13-13 after one quarter, and Sandia took a razor-thin, 24-23 lead into the locker room.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then the third quarter happened.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hobbs senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='831119' first='Matysen' last='Zepeda']</strong> caught fire from deep, burying five triples on the night and scoring or assisting on seemingly every bucket during a stunning 16-4 run. When the dust settled, the Eagles led 39-28 heading to the fourth and never looked back. Zepeda's game-high 20 points were the dagger Sandia couldn't pull out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Off the Hobbs bench, senior wing <strong>Arelie Navarro</strong> brought nonstop energy, dropping 12 points (10 in the second half) and electrifying the home crowd.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Sandia, foul trouble derailed their superstar early. Sophomore sensation <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1068188' first='Kaiyah' last='Benally']</strong>, now running the point full-time, picked up her fourth foul less than two minutes into the third quarter and spent most of the period glued to the bench. Even limited, she still managed 10 points and several slick assists, repeatedly threading needles to teammates for easy finishes at the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freshman forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1356340' first='Mikayla' last='Hogan']</strong> was a pleasant surprise in the paint, battling for position and scoring 10 points on high-percentage looks around the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the end, the Eagles simply wanted it more in the second half, turning a one-point deficit into a ten-point win behind hot shooting, relentless pressure, and a rowdy home atmosphere.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The champs have been put on notice: the 2025-26 5A race is wide open, and Hobbs just fired the first shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>What's Next</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hobbs (1-0) heads to Mayfield on Tuesday, November 25 – 6:00 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sandia (0-1) hosts Cibola on Tuesday, November 25 – 5:30 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->