Party’s over
The UNM women’s basketball team’s run in the MWC tournament comes to an end
RIO RANCHO — It’ll be a District 1-6A vs. District 3-6A doubleheader in Thursday’s semifinals of the girls Class 6A basketball tournament.
The top two seeds, Cibola and Hobbs, advanced with doubledigit victories, but Rio Rancho and Las Cruces were upset winners in Tuesday’s quarterfinals at the Santa Ana Star Center.
Rio Rancho faces Hobbs at 9:45 a.m. Thursday in the first semi, with Cibola and Las Cruces playing at 1:15 p.m. No. 5 LAS CRUCES 40, No. 4 CARLSBAD 39: Senior Janessa Johnson buried a 15-foot jumper from the right elbow with 7 seconds remaining as the Lady Bulldawgs (26-4) at last got the better of the Cavegirls (25-6), who had been their nemesis for the last two months.
“I knew my team needed me,” said Johnson, who finished with 10 points. “Time was winding down, and I needed to do something.”
Carlsbad’s Mariel Gomez had missed the front end of a oneand-one with 20.3 seconds left, setting up the go-ahead basket.
“That’s something that I worried about (when we had a close game). Is somebody gonna step up and take that shot?” said Las Cruces’ leading scorer, senior guard Sarah Abney. “She stepped up, and I’m so proud of her.”
Carlsbad led 39-35 with 32.7 seconds to go. Las Cruces’ Brooke Salmon banked in a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to shave the deficit to 39-38 before the late exchange that culminated with Johnson’s game-winner.
“She hit the biggest shot of the season,” Las Cruces coach Matt Abney said. “She’s had a phenomenal year shooting the ball.”
The Lady Bulldawgs somehow managed to advance, despite having not one but two scoring droughts that exceeded five minutes in the second half. Carlsbad went 3-0 against Las Cruces during the District 3-6A campaign, winning by one point, two points, and also seven points in an overtime game.
“We were due,” Matt Abney said.
The game featured nine ties and eight lead changes. — James Yodice No. 6 RIO RANCHO 40, No. 3
WEST MESA 36: In the team’s previous two meetings this season, it was the Mustangs (24-3) getting the early jump and rolling along to victories. But in the third engagement, the Rams (23-7) followed a different script.
“In this game in the second and third quarters, they really struggled to score,” Rio Rancho coach Scott Peterson said. “It’s because we’re a defensiveminded team. I thought our girls did a great job of being active and making things tough for them.”
West Mesa’s Cassidy Duncan hit a 3-pointer just before the end of the first quarter to put the Mustangs up 13-11. It was all Rams for the middle two periods.
It was Camryn Hawkins, who finished with 11 points, doing the damage in the second, scoring seven of the Rams’ 12 points. She was followed by Kamirah Decker, who finished with 14 and seven rebounds, doing the damage in the third with six of Rio Rancho’s nine points.
“I was just extremely excited to play,” Hawkins said. “Like (Monday) night, I couldn’t even really go to sleep, I was so excited. It’s finally here. I’m just going to put everything into it, go all in and have fun.” — Glen Rosales No. 1 CIBOLA 43, No. 8 PIEDRA VISTA 31: The Cougars (25-2) didn’t lead until midway through the third quarter, but the top seed eventually put on the defensive clamps and pulled away from the Panthers (23-7).
Cibola’s Amaya Brown, who finished with a team-best 21 points, took over in the early part of the fourth quarter, with seven straight points, capped by a three-point play and a 33-25 lead with 4:51 remaining. Piedra Vista didn’t get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
It was the second straight playoff game Cibola trailed at halftime, after being behind to No. 16 Cleveland last Friday.
Hallie Blackie led the Panthers with nine points. Cibola shot 6-for-31 from the floor in the first half and shot just 25.5 percent (13-for-51) for the game. No. 2 HOBBS 58, No. 7 ELDORADO 43: A 16-0 second-half run by Hobbs (28-2) was the difference as Eldorado (21-6) was eliminated.
Senior guard Amaya Lewis had nine of those 16 points in that Hobbs run that lasted almost eight minutes.
It was a 33-31 lead when the run began. Lewis and post Ayanna Smith had early baskets, and a bit later Lewis added a nifty spin move, and a shot off the glass that led to a threepoint play and a 44-31 lead.
In the disastrous third quarter for Eldorado, it scored two points and committed eight turnovers.
The second half stood in stark contrast to an entertaining first half that featured 13 lead changes.
Lewis had 18 points to lead Hobbs. Ayanna Smith scored 13 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. — James Yodice