Week 2 Standout Players: The Next Wave

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Part 2: Classes of 2027-2029</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 2 (Nov. 30–Dec. 6) of the 2025-26 New Mexico high school girls' basketball season was sensational! Intriguing non-district matchups, thanks to early in-season tournaments, resulted in breakout performances from juniors, sophomores, and freshmen!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the Week 2 Standouts who stepped up in big moments and turned heads!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Player - School (Class Year)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Leia Cunningham - St. Pius X (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cunningham had a team-high 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals (6/7 FG, 4/6 FT) in a dominant win. Straight efficiency.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marie Nez - Gallup (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hero mode activated. Overcame a 14-point deficit at home against the Chargers, exploding for a game-high 23 points — all in the second half — to spark the Bengals' comeback.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1068188' first='Kaiyah' last='Benally'] - Sandia (2028)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dynamic point guard magic. Benally dropped 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals (7/17 FG) to propel the Matadors to a 53-47 win over the Hawks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1068659' first='Rizaya' last='Cash']- Centennial (2029)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cash stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 steals (9/13 FG, 2/3 3P) as the Hawks rolled the Ravens 60-29.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zoey Barrio - Las Cruces (2028)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Efficient and unstoppable. Barrio finished with a team-high 18 points (8/12 FG) to lead the Bulldawgs past the Jaguars 65-24.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1356318' first='Melody' last='Duran'] - Dexter (2029)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Duran carried the Demons on her back to a 60-32 win over West Las Vegas. She was the lone double-figure scorer with team-high 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 steals (6/13 FG, 7/11 FT). This Freshman is fearless!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aaliyah Boies - Mesa Vista (2029)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a week for the freshman phenom! Boies dropped 23 points with 9 steals in one game, then 15 points and 6 steals the next. The Trojans beat West Las Vegas and Española Valley while she averaged 19 points and 7.5 steals per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jillian Lovato - Bernalillo (2029)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clutch from deep in a thriller. Lovato knocked down 5 triples for a team-high 18 points, helping the Spartans edge the Pirates 57-56 in a one-point nail-biter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The young guns are loading up — New Mexico girls' hoops has no shortage of next-level talent rising fast!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>**Statistics via MaxPreps**</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->