The aggressor returns
In return to court after sustaining serious injuries in game against Escalante, Peñasco’s Aguilar shows no hesitation
The lane was open and Jennifer Aguilar did what came naturally to the Peñasco senior wing — she drove to the basket.
The Lady Panthers’ District 5-2A semifinal game against Mora on Feb. 27 was Aguilar’s first game back on the basketball court since suffering several injuries when she was knocked to the hardwood and her head collided with the knee of an Escalante player during a Jan. 30 game, sidelining her for almost four weeks. But the first time Aguilar touched the ball at the top of the key, the instinct to be the aggressor had not waned.
“She had zero hesitation and drove,” Peñasco head coach Mandy Montoya said. “I was like, ‘She’s gonna be OK.’ ”
While Aguilar missed the shot, she’s otherwise been a hit for the Lady Panthers. With its entire rotation intact for the final push of the 2019-20 season, Peñasco can truly say it is at full strength — which is not what the rest of Class 2A wants to hear. Aguilar played a huge role in the top-seeded Lady Panthers’ 64-49 win over No. 16 Loving in the first round of the Class 2A State Girls Basketball Tournament on Friday, as she helped them overcome the absence of senior post Carly Gonzales when she was saddled with three fouls for the final minutes of the first half.
Peñasco maintained a 25-23 lead at the half, and steadily pulled away
behind Gonzales’ 37 points. However, the tenacity and fighting spirit Aguilar brought to the court could not be understated for both the team and Aguilar’s confidence.
Even though the 5-6 Aguilar surrendered a few inches to the taller Lady Falcons, she made up for it with smarts and toughness.
“I know they are taller than me, and they might be stronger and wider,” Aguilar said, “but I have to believe that I can get around them and get the ball away from them.”
It’s a brave front for someone who sustained a fractured orbital bone, two fractures to her sinus area and a traumatic brain injury after her collision against the Lady Lobos. It’s still a sore subject for the Lady Panthers, and Aguilar said she has yet to get an apology or any words of encouragement from most of the players or any of the coaches from Escalante.
The last game she missed before returning to the court was the District 5-2A playoff game against the Lady Lobos on Feb. 24, but she admitted that she wouldn’t have wanted to play them if her doctor had cleared her to resume playing by then.
“Not only the players, but the fans were rude toward me because they all thought we were making too big a deal about it,” Aguilar said.
It was a big deal to Aguilar, who dealt with occasional bouts of dizziness and light-headedness for the first couple of weeks after the incident. Those symptoms subsided, and her doctor cleared her to play the day of the playoff game against Escalante.
Fortunately for Aguilar, she and the Lady Panthers won’t have to worry about seeing the Lady Lobos in Tuesday’s quarterfinal in the Santa Ana Star Center, as ninth-seeded Rehoboth upset Escalante, 45-43, in the opening-round game.
However, Aguilar isn’t quite 100 percent, and that is mainly due to her conditioning. She didn’t start practicing until two weeks ago, and Montoya said it has been a slow, but steady progression for Aguilar. Montoya said she knew she was pretty much all the way back during wind sprints to end the practice on March 3. She was at the front of the pack instead of keeping a steady pace.
“She was barely chugging along usually,” Montoya said. “It wasn’t until Tuesday’s practice that I was like, ‘OK, Jenn’s back.’ ”
So, Montoya did not hesitate to put Aguilar into the game, and in the post, while Gonzales and fellow senior Ariana MacAuley sat the bench because of foul trouble. Aguilar admitted she was worried that she might not mesh with her teammates like she did prior to the injury, but any concerns slowly disappeared against Loving.
And Aguilar never felt any hesitation about playing the way she is accustomed to — which, in a word, is fearlessly.
“I thought it was going to be weird playing with the team again.” Aguilar said. “I wasn’t
SCHEDULE
Class 2A/3A/4A State Girls Basketball Tournament, quarterfinals
Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students/seniors/military personnel.
Class 4A
The Pit
No. 5 Pojoaque Valley vs. No. 4 Abq. Highland, 11:30 a.m.
Class 3A
Santa Ana Star Center, Rio Rancho
No. 5 Hatch Valley vs. No. 4 West Las Vegas, 1:15 p.m.
No. 10 Las Vegas Robertson vs. No. 2 Tularosa, 9:45 a.m.
No. 6 Santa Fe Indian School vs. No. 3 Tohatchi, 8:15 p.m.
Class 2A
Santa Ana Star Center, Rio Rancho
No. 9 Rehoboth vs. No. 1 Peñasco, 11:30 a.m.
No. 7 Pecos vs. No. 2 Mescalero, 6:30 p.m.
used to playing with them for almost a month, but everything was just fine.”
And if the lane opens for Aguilar, she’ll take it to the hole again.