Bengals Roar Back from 14 Down

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>GALLUP, N.M.</em> — Marie Nez erupted for 23 second-half points, fueling Gallup's comeback stunner over Academy. The Bengals improve to 3-0 and have now won 11 straight dating back to last season's state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a matchup of two programs expected to contend for the 4A state title in March, defending champion Gallup erased a 14-point deficit and held Albuquerque Academy to just three points in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 58-45 victory in front of a raucous home crowd.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chargers came out firing, jumping to an 11-0 lead and taking a 16-6 advantage into the second quarter. Academy carried a 23-17 edge into halftime and led 42-38 heading into the final period, but the Bengals' full-court pressure and physical man-to-man defense completely flipped the game in the fourth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gallup's junior trio carried the load offensively: Marie Nez exploded for all 23 of her game-high points in the second half, hitting threes, attacking off the dribble, and single-handedly willing the Bengals to the comeback. [player_tooltip player_id='901165' first='Kayden' last='Tsosie'] added 13 points, using her length and crafty footwork to score in the mid-range and at the rim. The junior forward briefly left in the third quarter with an apparent cramp but returned to finish the game. [player_tooltip player_id='1225668' first='Mykeia' last='Vicenti'] chipped in 11 points, repeatedly getting to the free-throw line by punishing defenders who were back on their heels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Academy, sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1068212' first='Lily' last='Skarsgard'] led the way with 18 points, knocking down multiple threes and creating for teammates out of pick-and-roll actions. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='648196' first='Adeline' last='Spratley'] added 17 points on an assortment of mid-range jumpers, floaters, and drives. The Chargers were severely hampered by foul trouble to 6'6” junior center [player_tooltip player_id='839425' first='Harper' last='Dunn'], the state's top-ranked player in the class of 2027. Dunn picked up her second foul at the 3:55 mark of the first quarter, her third at 5:09 of the second, and fouled out with 5:31 remaining in the third, finishing with only 2 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Academy falls to 0-1 in its first serious test of the 2025-26 campaign.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>What's Next</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Albuquerque Academy (0-1) hosts Roswell (0-0) on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 4:00 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gallup (3-0) hosts Ganado on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->