Padilla again seals win for Lady Horsemen

Carisa Padilla has a flair for the dramatic, and it was on display Tuesday night. The St. Michael’s junior wing’s 3-pointer with 4 seconds left lifted the Lady Horsemen to a 39-37 win over Bernalillo in Perez-Shelley Gymnasium.

It was the second straight win for St. Michael’s, which just so happens to be the same number of times Padilla supplied the winning points.

She hit a free throw after getting fouled on a 3-point attempt in overtime against Deming in the seventh-place game of the Bobby Rodriguez Capital City Tournament on Dec. 9 for a 42-41 win.

Against the Lady Spartans, she had 17 points to lead the Lady Horsemen (3-5).

“She’s been our go-to girl for most of the year,” St. Michael’s head coach Martin Esquibel said. “She’s been in double figures [scoring] in just about every game and she’s been the go-to girl at the end of games.”

One player does not make a team, and the depth of the Lady Horsemen was tested thanks to foul trouble. They lost two players to fouls in the fourth quarter and another starter finished with four fouls. Esquibel had to play without most of his starters in the third quarter, and Bernalillo closed a 23-10 halftime deficit to 30-29 entering the fourth quarter.

“We moved up a couple of floaters from the [junior varsity],” Esquibel said. “They were able to get in there and give some valuable minutes. Stella Valencia and Amelia Esquibel gave us some key minutes in a couple of quarters.”

Cia Alvarez had eight points in a supporting role for St. Michael’s.

MORIARTY 56, CAPITAL 34

The Lady Jaguars’ intensity waned in the second half, and the Lady Pintos turned a 25-16 lead at the half into a blowout in a nondistrict game in Moriarty.

Capital had no answer for Alyssa Adams, as the Moriarty forward had 27 points. Eighteen of them came in the first half as she almost single-handedly pushed the Lady Pintos ahead. Moriarty built the lead to 41-25 after three quarters.

“Moriarty, they are a well-coached team,” Capital head coach Darren Casados said. “They run their offense, and play good, fundamental defense. That’s a good team.”

Kyannah Cole led the Lady Jaguars (6-5) with 10 points.

TAOS 52, SANTA FE INDIAN SCHOOL 49

The Lady Braves couldn’t make a 28-24 halftime lead stand up as the Lady Tigers outscored them 13-8 in the fourth quarter of a nondistrict game in Otero Gymnasium.

Aaliyah Quintana had 25 points to lead Taos (4-3), while Leanna Lewis had 17 to lead SFIS (6-3).