Final Four Fire: 4A-2A Semis Deliver Drama and Dominance

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Final Four of the 2026 Nusenda Credit Union State Basketball Championships brought electric action, with teams battling for spots in the title games. Defenses clamped down, stars shone bright, and dreams advanced—or ended—in intense showdowns. Here's the recap from March 12!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 4A – UNM The Pit (Thursday, March 12)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 2 Gallup 54, No. 3 Albuquerque Academy 44</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A back-and-forth thriller featured six lead changes and six ties. The Bengals edged ahead late to secure the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q1: Bengals 10-9</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Halftime: Chargers 27-21</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q3: Bengals 42-39</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Final: 54-44</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gallup's balanced attack was key—seven players scored, three in double figures, and just 7 turnovers (vs. 22 for Academy). [player_tooltip player_id='1225668' first='Mykeia' last='Vicenti'] (13 points, 3 rebounds, 5 steals), [player_tooltip player_id='1262103' first='Payton' last='Johnson'] (12 points, 3/5 3PT), and [player_tooltip player_id='901165' first='Kayden' last='Tsosie'] (12 points, 8 rebounds) combined for 37 points, delivering versatility and poise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 1 Kirtland Central 61, No. 4 Hope Christian 38</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Broncos overwhelmed the Huskies with suffocating defense, forcing chaos and piling up steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q1: Tied 11-11</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Halftime: Broncos 29-19</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q3: Broncos 50-28</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Final: 61-38</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kirtland's guard quartet—[player_tooltip player_id='1058912' first='Elaina' last='Clani'] (13 points, 3 assists, 4 steals), [player_tooltip player_id='1068199' first='Allyson' last='Tsosie'] (12 points, 6 steals, 2 assists), [player_tooltip player_id='893562' first='Haylee' last='Nocki'] (12 points, 3 assists, 5 steals), and [player_tooltip player_id='1058917' first='Zoey' last='Benally'] (10 points, 3 assists, 6 steals)—torched for 48 points, 11 assists, and a staggering 21 steals. Team-wide, 29 steals crushed Hope Christian's rhythm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 3A – Rio Rancho Events Center (Thursday, March 12)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 2 Santa Fe Indian School 53, No. 3 Robertson 27</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Braves never trailed, locking down defensively to hold Robertson to single digits every quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q1: Braves 19-8</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Halftime: Braves 31-15</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q3: Braves 44-24</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Final: 53-27</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='839443' first='Aaliyah' last='Valencia'] (game-high 15 points, 2 steals) and [player_tooltip player_id='648199' first='Kaydence' last='Riley'] (13 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals) powered the offense and created havoc with 7 combined steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 1 Navajo Prep 55, No. 5 Cobre 27</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles soared, shutting down Cobre's outside game completely.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q1: Eagles 14-8</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Halftime: Eagles 34-15</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q3: Eagles 44-22</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Final: 55-27</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Navajo Prep held the Indians to 0/13 from three, and all nine players who saw action scored. Kamyra Goldtooth led with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, while [player_tooltip player_id='1225687' first='Leilani' last='Wood'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1056573' first='Kameron' last='Dale'] added 9 points each.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 2A – Rio Rancho Events Center (Thursday, March 12)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 1 Mesa Vista 49, No. 4 Laguna Acoma 28</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trojans controlled both ends, exploding early and finishing strong with sharp ball movement.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q1: Trojans 15-8</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Halftime: Trojans 21-16</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q3: Trojans 30-24</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Final: 49-28</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mesa Vista dished 13 assists (vs. 2 for Laguna). Freshman sensation [player_tooltip player_id='1648702' first='Aaliyah' last='Boies'] dazzled with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 8 steals. [player_tooltip player_id='1671513' first='Valery' last='Martinez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1267250' first='Isabella' last='Gallegos'] each added 9 points to seal it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 3 Tatum 50, No. 2 Texico 43</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A gritty comeback for the Wolverines, who overcame a halftime deficit with a third-quarter surge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q1: Wolverines 6-4</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Halftime: Coyotes 22-17</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Q3: Coyotes 41-29</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Final: 50-43</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='893558' first='Avery' last='Henard'] and Shelby Peterson powered Tatum with timely buckets and key rebounds down the stretch. Henard logged a double-double with a game-high 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists, showcasing leadership and all-around dominance. Peterson added 13 points and 8 rebounds, providing crucial buckets and interior presence. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->