Girls basketball
What happened: The Lady Jaguars had a doubleheader to cap the Eddie Peña Classic in Grants on Saturday, but they struggled to slow the Lady Pirates and, in a second game, the Rio Rancho Lady Rams. In the first game, Grants scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to pad a 35-28 lead after Capital cut into a 15-point halftime deficit. Rio Rancho jumped out to a 23-8 lead after one quarter, then held the Lady Jaguars to just one point in the second for a 39-9 lead at the break. Rio Rancho won 57-18.
Standouts: Annalise Leos had 15 points against Grants, and Abriana Mares scored 12. Leos and Amerie Romero each had five points against the Lady Rams. What’s next: Capital (3-7) goes back on the road Tuesday to play Las Vegas Robertson.
What happened: Once again, first-quarter woes proved to be too much for the Lady Horsemen to overcome. For the third straight game, they scored three points, and trailed the Lady Warriors 16-4 in the White bracket consolation game of the Ben Lujan Tournament in Pojoaque. St. Michael’s picked it up in the second quarter and cut the margin to 23-18 at the break, but Socorro pushed the lead back up to 39-31 heading into the fourth. “We kept at it,” Lady Horsemen head coach Sonya Ruiz said. “We got it down to five [in the fourth], down to four, then down to three, but we could never get any closer.”
Standouts: Lauryn Pecos had 19 points to lead St. Michael’s, and Lily Rodriguez and Carmen Pacheco each had seven.
What’s next: The Lady Horsemen (3-5) play Bernalillo at home on Wednesday.
What happened: Once again, lockdown defense led the way for the Lady Hilltoppers, who didn’t allow the Lady Eagles more than six points in any quarter in a nondistrict game in Griffith Gymnasium. Meanwhile, the work Los Alamos is putting into improving its offense is showing signs of paying off, building a 22-9 lead at the half before using a 12-2 scoring run in the third quarter to make it 34-11. “Everyone is involved defensively, but our underclassmen are becoming more confident and consistent scorers,” Lady Hilltoppers head coach Ray Romero said.
Standouts: Junior Carley Holland led Los Alamos with 11 points, while freshman GG Romero scored eight and sophomore Abby Martinez added seven. What’s next: The Lady Hilltoppers (5-4) get a 10-day layoff before playing Albuquerque Hope Christian in the opening round of the Lady Horsemen Christmas Tournament at St. Michael’s on Dec. 2