Marquez’s shift in attitude carries Lady Dons
ter to erase a 23-16 deficit.
It ended when Estrella Gonzales scored off the glass at the six minute mark for a 29-23 lead. It wasn’t until Marquez hit a pair of free throws with 5:40 left in the third that a 5-minute, 4-second dry spell came to an end. The slump was marked by turnovers, as the Lady Dons (6-1) had five in that stretch. West Las Vegas head coach Jose “Majic” Medina said it was just a matter of the players being strong with the ball.
“For lack of a better term, we were lazy with the basketball,” Medina said. “We weren’t being as aggressive, we weren’t in a triple-threat position, we weren’t fundamental. We were fortunate to overcome that.”
Once Marquez heated up, though, the confidence returned to the Lady Dons. A 15-4 run ensued, highlighted by a pair of Marquez 3s that gave West Las Vegas a 38-24 lead with 7:42 left in the game. While Marquez was the elixir for the Lady Dons’ woes, the Lady Panthers lived off the post play of sophomore Carly Gonzales. The 5-foot-10 post scored 10 of Peñasco’s last 14 points, on her way to a 22-point performance.
When Gonzales hit four straight free throws, the Lady Panthers tied the score at 38-all with 5:24 left. It stayed that way for all of 23 seconds.
Marquez nailed a 3 from the wing to break the tie and the Lady Dons went on a 9-2 spurt that settled the outcome. It was the last of five triples she hit on the night. Marquez’s performance was a direct results of the early perimeter success of senior forward Jenna Bustos.
She drained a pair of 3s in the first half, and Peñasco focused its attention in its zone on Bustos. With Bustos often playing on the opposite side of the floor as Marquez, the shooters stretched the zone to the point it gave up plenty of open looks.
“With one on each side, they can’t cheat as much and focus on one,” Medina said. “Hopefully, both of them are on or they’re open and we knock down some shots.”
When Peñasco tried to press its way back into the game, Medina moved Marquez to the point guard spot to take care of the ball. The move worked as the Lady Dons turned the ball over just twice in the last 3 minutes.
“It boosts my confidence a lot to know that my coach believes in me and knows I can get the job done,” Marquez said. “It helps me out a lot. It makes me feel better.”
And no one remembers the bad body language.
In other games:
POJOAQUE VALLEY 60, MORA 19
The Elkettes (8-1) figured out how to feed Shania Thronas, the 5-9 senior post, and she gobbled up 12 points in easily handling the Rangerettes in the other semifinal. While fellow forward Ashten Martinez as found her place in the offense, Thronas had struggled at times to get the ball and show off her low-post moves.
She scored right off the opening tip with a breakaway layup, then added a short jumper a few minutes later. Thronas added a putback with 4:43 left and Pojoaque had an 11-4 lead.
“The girls looked for her, and she responded,” Elkettes head coach Seledon Martinez said.
Not to be overlooked is the Elkettes’ defense, which has allowed just 21 points in the past 48 minutes (Mesa Vista scored just two points in the second half of Thursday’s 59-23 Pojoaque win). Mora (3-6) failed to score in the second quarter as a 13-7 Pojoaque lead mushroomed to 29-7 at the half.
Adrianna Quintana had 14 points to lead the Elkettes (8-1), and Dallas Archibald scored eight.
CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS MCCURDY 60, WINGATE 58
The Lady Bobcats (4-3) held off a fourth-quarter rally from the Lady Bears to advance to the consolation championship against Bernalillo at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. McCurdy led 46-37 after three quarters, but Wingate (0-6) outscored the Lady Bobcats 21-14 in the final 8 minutes.
Karla Santos had 13 points to pace McCurdy, while Serena Barela added 12.
BERNALILLO 44, MESA VISTA 28
The Lady Spartans (2-10) outscored the Lady Trojans 13-6 in the fourth to pad a 31-22 lead in the morning game. Abrianna Griego led Mesa Vista (2-7) with 11 points, while Lakrisha Sanchez paced Bernalillo with 11.