Lady Panthers finish second in district 5-2A
Peñasco handles Questa but falls to Mesa Vista for fourth time this year
The Peñasco Lady Panthers ended up in the same spot in the district tournament as they did in the end of season rankings: in second-place behind the Mesa Vista (Ojo Caliente) Lady Trojans. For the fourth time this season, Peñasco was unable to topple the Lady Trojans, losing a close battle by a final score of 44-41 in a shootout in Ojo Caliente March 1.
But before the zenith matchup, the Lady Panthers had to get past another familiar nemesis, the Questa Ladycats.
Questa vs. Peñasco
After the Lady Panthers defeated the Questa Ladycats 55-47 on the road in the final game of the regular season Feb. 24 to clinch second place in the district, Peñasco received a “bye” to the semifinal game of the 5-2A tourney.
Not knowing who to expect as their opponent, the Lady Panthers had to wait for a team to emerge from the initial rounds of the endof-season tournament. As it turned out, it was the Ladycats — setting up a back-to-back rematch with their intra-county rival at La Jicarrita Gymnasium Feb. 29.
To start the game, both teams utilized a very deliberate pace, opting for a careful half-court approach as each offensive series produced a high number of passes before a shot attempt went up. The strategy seemed to work well for Questa, as they grabbed an early lead and finished the first quarter ahead 10-8. As the pace picked up in the second quarter, Peñasco was able to produce points in transition, outscoring the Ladycats 13-5 to end the half with the score 21-15 in favor of the Lady Panthers.
In the second half, the Lady Panthers were able to capitalize on several missed layups by Questa in transition. Every time a fast break opportunity arose for the Ladycats, Peñasco was able to get at least one player back on defense, completely disrupting Questa’s shot attempts and coming away with key defensive rebounds.
In the waning moments of the game, Charnelle Gonzales hit eight straight points to seal the victory for Peñasco.
Peñasco vs. Mesa Vista
For the second year in a row, the Peñasco Lady Panthers found themselves in the district championship. Last year, Peñasco challenged the Escalante (Tierra Amarilla) Lady Lobos in the title game, but lost to the eventual state runner-up by a substantial margin.
This year it was facing the Mesa Vista Lady Trojans, another juggernaut team.
“We just need to play our game,” Peñasco coach Mandy Montoya declared in post-game remarks after beating Questa. “We couldn’t convert a lot of fast break opportunities against their (Mesa Vista’s) defense in the last game, so we need to get back to what works for us.”
For much of the championship game, the Lady Panthers did
execute Montoya’s game plan successfully, as the two teams were knotted up at 9 points apiece after one quarter of play. The point-forpoint stalemate continued in the second quarter with both teams scoring 10 points each to finish the half at 19-19.
A determined Peñasco squad wrangled the upper hand from the heavily-favored Lady Trojans and claimed the first lead of the game before time expired in the third quarter. Led by familiar role players, Rochelle Lopez, Analise MacAuley and Charelle Gonzales, Peñasco was on top 32-27 as the final stanza got underway.
After cruising through league play and notching 10 straight victories, Mesa Vista found themselves in unfamiliar territory, trailing their opponent late in the game.
Ultimately, the top-ranked class 2A team in the state regained their steely composure and grabbed the lead back, sealing the win by outscoring the Lady Panthers 17-9 in the fourth quarter in front of their elated hometown crowd. The heroine who catapulted her team to 5-2A triumph was Mesa Vista senior Shanae Silva, who pumped in 23 points to lead all scorers in the classic Northern New Mexico clash.
Before the district tournament, the Lady Panthers were number five in class 2A. The subsequent loss to the Lady Trojans, coupled with a late season surge by the Menaul (Albuquerque) Lady Panthers, put Peñasco solidly in the sixth seed in the class 2A bracket — the highest rank best as far as Taos County teams are concerned.
As a result of their 17-11 (0.607win percentage) overall record and second-place finish in their respective tournament, the Lady Panthers will host the eleventh seed Clayton Lady Yellowjackets in the first round March 8. This will be the second time the two teams meet this season. In their first meet up, the Lady Yellowjackets beat Peñasco in overtime by a final score of 62-57 Dec. 16.
Game time is 6 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased online at the GoFan website. General admission is $12 for adults and $7 for students, seniors and military personnel. Class 2A girls will play the quarterfinal round at the Rio Rancho Event Center March 12.