Lady Tigers win Hope Christian Tournament

The Lady Tigers were the first team to come out on top as champions of the Hope Christian Tournament on Saturday ( Jan. 15), as they played their game before the boys. In the first round they

faced off Tiger-to-Tiger against the Los Lunas Tigers. In the semifinals they played against the Bloomfield Bobcats. In the championship game they squared off against the St. Pius Sartans.

Their Friday (Jan. 14) matchup against the Bobcats included an evenly contested first half, marked by a battle of the Quintanas: Lady Tiger Quintana, Madelynn, against Lady Bobcat Quintana, Aliya. Madelynn made

her presence felt on the perimeter, picking the pockets of the Lady Bobcats and taking it coast to coast for the layup. She also swished four free throws, added some assists, and got a big block down low.

Aliya, more of an interior player, drove it hard against Ely, drawing the foul. She made 1 one of 2 free throws. On the next offensive

possession she hit a shot high off the glass to tie the game 6-6. Tied at 8-8 on a fast-break opportunity for Lady Tiger Marika Moyer, Aliya got a crucial block on the

shot attempt. She was also a pivotal component for all the offensive rebounds the Lady Bobcats managed to grab.

At half time the Lady Tigers had a narrow lead of 22-21.

The rivalry continued in the second half. Madelynn hit her first 3-point shot attempt for the night on the right wing to

start the third quarter. A couple minutes later she hit an off the dribble jumper over two Bloomfield defenders. Bloomfield called a timeout. Lady Tigers were up 31-24.

In the fourth quarter Aliya soared to intercept a pass intended for Ely. After moving the ball around the arc, her teammates

found Aliya underneath the basket for the score, giving her 9

points, and to also keep Bloomfield within 9 points, 29-38.

Taos closed out the game 49-35.

Against the St. Pius X Sartans, Saturday (Jan. 15)

The game started with back and forth scoring between the Tigers and the Sartans. It went 2-2, then 5-5. Marisol Rivera caught

fire, hitting a 3-pointer and then a jump shot in transition to give

the Sartans a 10-5 lead. On the inbound play Catalina Anaya

stole the ball sliced through Ely and Moyer for the quick layup. This forced Eric Mares to call a timeout and get the Lady Tigers to regroup.