Area basketball teams looking for state tournament seeding

Socorro 38 Hatch 17

Despite the anxiousness of Senior Night, the Lady Warriors rose to the occasion as Socorro snatched its second District 3-3A win with a 38-17 victory against Hatch Valley on Feb. 13.

Paced by two long-distance shots from Jazmine Alvarado, the Lady Warriors jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Adrianna Guiterrez and Ariana Crespin added two free throws each during the frame.

Heading into the game, coach Rebecca Apodaca wanted her team to group and play for her seniors. Depending on how the District 3-3A tournament goes, it might be the last time Gutierrez, Crespin, Alvarado, and Ariana Silva will play on their home court.

Alvarado’s scoring (20 points) led Socorro, as she continued to make shots from behind the arc and added three more for a total of five on the night.

Up 20-7 at the half, Socorro came back in the second half just as aggressive from long range, and a 12-4 third-quarter run ended any mystery.

“We want to finish the season strong and keep getting our younger girls the experience they will need for next season,” Apodaca said.

At 3-19 (2-2) overall, the Lady Warriors finish the district season on Feb. 20 and will await the district tournament schedule. Cobre at 12-11 and 4-0 in league play has wrapped up the district championship.

Scoring - Adrianna Gutierrez 2, Ariana Silva, Jazmine Alvarado 20, Ariana Crespin 11. Tatjana Castillo 2.

Warriors 54 Hatch 43

Socorro had the kind of victory first-year coaches dream about on Senior Night. Ivan Giron-Vega scored 16 points in his final district home game, and the sophomore point guard Isiah Silva added 13 more. This helped the Warriors win 54-43 against Hatch Valley.

At 8-16 and 2-2 in District 3-A, Socorro is battling for second place behind a Hot Springs team that has a 4-0 mark in league play and 17-7 overall.

“Our defense is our bread and butter. Defense is our offense. We just got to pick up our offense now, and we’re good,” coach Tim Townsend said. “I like what I saw tonight. Everybody played well from top to bottom. To me, there’s no top to bottom. We’re all the same across the board,”

Being the same from top to bottom doesn’t count when it comes to Townsend’s thoughts about his leading scorer (14.4 points average) and senior Giron-Vega, who has stuck with his first-year coach through some growing pains.

“Ivan is the epitome of a teammate. He is a player/coach and a leader. I wish I could coach him for 100 years. Ivan is a joy to be around. He’s just a great kid. He brings the guys up. He keeps them grounded. I rely on Ivan a lot,” Townsend said.

The Warriors’ win against Hatch came with a little bit of tension, as Socorro turned a slim 15-14 lead into a 34-21 lead at the half. A third-quarter lull left the score at 44-36, and Townsend needed an important timeout to calm his players and ensure the game didn’t slip away.

“We played not to lose, but at the same time, we’ve got to still play to win. My guys got a little jittery and wanted to go right away and start forcing stuff, and that’s when I called the time out. I don’t care how much time there was left. We needed to regroup and keep playing,” Townsend said.

Scoring - Nazario Silva 8, Ivan Giron Vega 16, Derek Acosta 8, Isaiah Silva 13, Jacob Angel 7, Javier Giron 2.

Lady Cougars 62 Carrizozo 27

Ten of the 12 Lady Cougars scored, and Alamo Navajo ran away from Carrizozo 62-27, allowing coach Bill Green the freedom to work out his younger players.

“You might have noticed we sat out Sapphira Sandoval for the fourth quarter,” Green said.

Before sending his senior leader to cheer from the sidelines, the Lady Cougars were up 46-25. Sandoval had spent three quarters guiding the Lady Cougars offense, and her leaving the court was handoff of future responsibility to her younger teammates.

Green is Alamo’s superintendent, and his coaching this season wasn’t by design but a necessity. Finding a girls basketball coach is likely going to be a priority for Green, but that new coach will find a good set of returning athletes.

Alamo is currently 8-15 on the year and 3-3 in district play.

Scoring - Butterfly Secatero 8, Marshshayla Herrera 14, Sapphira Sandoval 8, Tisha Mexicano, 7, Ania Torres 2, Detriana Vandever 5, MaClana Mexicano 4, Shalaysha Guerro 10, LaShay Guerro 2, Kasea Ganadonegro 2.

Cougars 89 Carrizozo 38

The only thing keeping Alamo Navajo from hanging 100 points on Carrizozo Friday night was a sense of class as coach Lemuel Guerro pulled back on the Cougars’ reins and passed out court time to his entire team.

It was a paint-by-numbers affair as juniors Andy Pino (23 points) and Zephaniah Guerro (21) dominated the inside, pulling down rebounds and giving the Cougars second chances.

More than anything, the Cougars (17-7, 5-2) have shown massive improvement in their court awareness, and Alamo’s passing game has moved up to another level.

“Our passing is a big key to our success on offense. I’m always talking to the guys about making good plays and not being selfish,” Guerro said. “The guys are taking pride in making good passes and letting their teammates score.”

Alamo also has its outside game, with the team’s leading scorer, Scotty Guerro, netting 17.8 points per game this season. Pino is second in scoring with 15.4 points. Cobre Mexicano (sophomore) has lightning quickness and will be a big part of the Cougars’ future at 8.8 points a game.

Knowing his team might not be challenged on the night, Guerro elected to rest his starters often. As he did so, he considered some chemistry matchups for his team.

“You always want to experiment a little bit, and of course, when you have guys who work hard in practice, you want to see them get playing time,” Guerro said.

Scoring - Cobre Mexicano 12, Raymond Apachito, Emmett Duffy 7, Pherrell Herrera, Methias Ruben, Nahurn Apachito 4, Tilial Secatero 9, Scotty Guerro 13, Zephaniah Guerro 21, Andy Pino 23.

Magdalena 46 Quemado 50

It looked like No. 6 Magdalena was going to force a tiebreaker for the District 2-1A title as it held a 40-30 lead heading into the final period, only to have No. 5 Quemado coming roaring back to hand the Steers a 50-46 loss.

After dominating through three quarters of play, the wheels fell off Magdalena’s offense as the shots stopped falling. As Quemado began climbing back into the game, the Steers’ defense also started making mistakes, and Magdalena suddenly got somewhat timid on offense.

Coach Sara Sue Olney called timeouts to try and shake her team out of its funk. With 6:35 remaining in play, Magdalena led 44-32, but the Steers’ offense didn’t get back on track.

Magdalena (19-6, 5-2) is likely to get one more shot at the Lady Eagles (19-5, 6-1) during the district tournament. A win can change the course of the playoffs and maybe edge the Steers up in the seeding.

Scoring - Amberlee Apachito, Jema Ganadonegro 13, Kali Bruton 7, Elia Cleveland 8, Nikole Torres 3, Winona Apachito 2, Jorianne Mirabal 11, Falene Montoya, Ariella Mexicano, Jewel Mirabal 2, Ali Dorn.

Steers 71 Eagles 17

No. 4 Magdalena had enough points in the first quarter to win its game against Quemado, and the Steers enjoyed an easy 71-17 Senior Night win on Saturday.

At 20-5 and 6-1 in district play, the Steers are looking to right their ship after stumbling against Cliff (17-4) on the road 49-39. It marked the first district loss for Magdalena since the 2018-19 season. Since 2012, the Steers have been 126-4 in district games.

Against Quemado, senior Ayden Herschbach had the touch from behind the arc, using four three-pointers to contribute to his game-high 20 points. On the inside, it was big man Joe Zamora attacking the paint for 19 points while Jeffery Stuteville had 8.

The most likely scenario for the district title will be another matchup against No. 6 Cliff Cowboys. The Steers won the first game 43-34, and the two should collide at a neutral site to be announced.

Scoring - EJ Lucero, Ayden Herschbach 20, Javen Tafoya 3, Natha Bruton, Jeffery Stuteville 8, Joe Zamora 19, Kaanan Stephens 3, Zeb Apachito 2, Jacob Markland 5, Ky Stephens, Kobe Mexicano, R, Piassso, Othello Apachito 4.