Girls basketball
What happened: The Lady Lobos continued their assault on Class 2A competition, building a 48-22 lead late in the third quarter before the Lady Panthers scored the last five points to get within 48-27 heading into the fourth quarter of an NRG semifinal. The final margin was the closest any 2A team has come to challenging Escalante, which had beaten its previous five opponents in its class by an average of 49.2 points. That included a 98-21 shellacking of McCurdy in Thursday’s opening round.
Standouts: Cipriana Garcia led Escalante with 16 points, and Kalese Torrez added 14 as nine of its 10 players scored. Peñasco was led by Analise MacCauley and Rochelle Lopez, who each had nine points.
What’s next: Escalante (8-2) plays Mesa Vista for the NRG championship game Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Peñasco (7-5) plays Pecos for third place at 2:30 p.m.
What happened: The Lady Trojans appeared to be cruising to a 9-0 start to the season, building a 35-20 lead early in the third quarter of an NRG semifinal, but the Lady Panthers pressed their way back into the game that led to a 20-5 run. Pecos wing Natalia Stout hit a free throw to tie the score at 40 midway through the fourth, but the Lady Trojans scored four straight points, capped by Amarissa Quintana’s bucket with 3:30 left.
Standouts: Tana Lopez had 14 points to lead Mesa Vista, and Anna Peña added nine. Stout led all scorers with 24 points, and Savannah Ortiz had eight.
What’s next: The Lady Trojans play Escalante for the tournament title Saturday. Pecos (5-7) plays Peñasco for third place.
What happened: The short-handed Lady Horsemen, who had just seven players for the Albuquerque Sandia Prep Invitational, hit their shots and withstood the Lady Chargers’ rally to advance to the consolation championship game. St. Michael’s built a 16-10 lead at the half, but Academy chipped away. The margin was 27-22 entering the fourth, and the Lady Chargers crept to within two points before the Lady Horsemen pulled away.
“They played well defensively and rebounded well,” St. Michael’s head coach Sonya Ruiz said. “Our shooting percentage was good this game.”
Standouts: Lauryn Pecos had 10 points to lead St. Michael’s, and Carmen Pacheco added seven.
What’s next: The Lady Horsemen (5-9) play Hatch Valley for fifth place in the tournament Saturday at 1:30 p.m.