SFIS freshman helps shut down Ruidoso
Lady Braves were faltering after gaining big lead in Class 3A first-round game
One thing.
That was the task the Santa Fe Indian School Lady Braves faced Tuesday night. Challenged by their coaches to focus on doing one thing well in their Class 3A opening-round game against Ruidoso, Kaydence Riley opted to not dribble when she didn’t need to.
Instead, she was aggressive, especially in the paint, and that proved to be the difference in the fourth quarter Friday night. Her four-minute stretch in which she scored four points, hauled in five rebounds and collected a steal energized a lagging SFIS team in a 52-34 win over the Lady Warriors in Pueblo Pavilion.
With the win, the third-seeded Lady Braves (21-7) advance to Tuesday’s 8:15 p.m. 3A quarterfinal against No. 6 Albuquerque Sandia Prep in Rio Rancho Events Center.
Riley’s production came at a crucial time when SFIS went ice-cold after a 22-2 outburst to start the game. Despite holding a 34-16 halftime lead, the Lady Braves scored just two points through the first 9 minutes, 42 seconds of the second half.
That allowed the Lady Warriors (11-17) to creep to within 36-28 when Gabriella Portillo hit a reverse layup 51 seconds into the fourth quarter. SFIS missed 15 of its first 16 shots after the break and appeared timid in attacking the basket.
Riley, a freshman, finally took control of the situation when she grabbed her own missed shot and was fouled. Her two free throws with 6:18 left made it 38-28.
Buoyed by her effort, Riley came down on the next Lady Braves possession and hit a floater in the lane for a 40-28 lead that ignited a 12-2 run that finally put the game away.
“We needed someone to take the pressure off of our pressure kids,” said SFIS head coach Teri Morrison, referring to her top scorers. “We talked to Kaydence at the half and said, ‘You gotta play. You gotta quit dribbling it off your feet. We need you to get to the basket.’ ”
While the message was aimed at Riley, it seemed like the rest of the Lady Braves needed to heed the advice.
Lulled into a false sense of security after hitting eight of its first 17 shots to build a seemingly insurmountable 20-point lead, SFIS seemed content to
shoot from the perimeter. Senior point guard Madisen Valdez knocked down three 3s from the outset on her way to a 15-point opening quarter.
Morrison dug into her bench, in part to give them some postseason experience, but also because of foul trouble. Valdez and senior wing Jalen Abeyta collected two fouls and sat on the bench for much of the second quarter.
They were there to start the third, but nothing indicated Ruidoso could make a run, trailing 34-16 at the break. But the combination of poor shooting by the Lady Braves and enough opportunities by the Lady Warriors created concern on the SFIS sideline.
Valdez said the Lady Braves lost patience on offense, settling for jump shots instead of attacking the rim. Ruidoso’s trapping zone defense also gave them fits.
“A lot of times, we just lose patience and we freak out,” Valdez said. “We tend to play not to lose. That is one of the things that comes with experience. But this was a good game to start off state with.”
Portillo scored eight of her 14 points in the third quarter to help cut the margin to 36-25 on Aalyiah Vega’s 12-footer with 4:23 left in the quarter. She scored Ruidoso’s first three points of the fourth and SFIS needed someone to do one thing well.
Riley was the one to answer the call.
“She’s our hidden gem,” Morrison said. “She works really hard, she’s really athletic and the kids love her. She’s that silent assassin you need in playoff games.”