Magdalena: boys are champs and both teams advance to State

The Magdalena varsity basketball teams advanced to the first round of the state playoffs with their strong regular season performances. Both teams earned home games in round one with the strength of the records. They are eager to advance deeper into the State Championship games being played from March 11-14.

Boys' team

The Steers finished with a 18-9 overall record for the regular season and a 8-1 first place record in their district. 

The boys played against Cliff on Feb. 23 in Hatch for a major third match of the season to decide the first seed for the district tournament. The Steers won that game 47-43 and earned themselves a break until Saturday, Feb. 28.

The Steers played Cliff once again on Feb. 28 for the district championship. Magdalena dominated the game defensively and even shut out the Cowboys in the first quarter, 8-0. The Steers extended their lead gradually throughout the game to finish with a 34-21 victory and the championship trophy.

#21 Kanaan Stephens led the Steers with 12 points, #13 Shane Montoya added eight points, #30 Noah Guerro scored six points for the team and #15 Ky Stephens had four in the game.

“Everyone doubted us, and we made it here. We did it: 13 in a row. We did it,” Montoya said. “I'm feeling confident. We're playing good right now, defensively, we're playing really good, so I'm pretty confident.”

Montoya is referring to 13 district championships in a row. They were second in their district in the 2012-13 season, but since then it has been all first place. 

Head Coach Jory Mirabal said that he was proud of the team as well, and that they have been working hard in practices and in games to keep that winning tradition going.

After a slow 4-6 start in the 2025 portion of this season, Magdalena has only lost three games since Jan. 1, making for a 14-3 record in 2026. The Steers rallied with a nine game winning streak to finish the season, which they will hope to extend in round one of the state playoffs. 

3/07 Varsity boys-first round of state at home against Springer at 3 p.m.

Girls' team

The girls played Reserve at home for round two of their tournament and won 63-33.

The Magdalena girls then played on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at Quemado. They lost 50-40, with Quemado advancing to play in Cliff against the top seeded Cowgirls on Friday, Feb. 27. Cliff retained its top spot in the district with a 48-41 win over Quemado at home.

Head Coach Sara Sure Olney said the loss was perhaps a blessing in disguise though, as it saved the girls from having to play three games that week. They now have had more time to rest and prepare for their first round game in the state playoffs.

The Magdalena girls finished 22-6 overall for the regular season, and third in their very competitive district at 5-3. Quemado is second and Cliff is still first place.

3/06 Varsity girls-first round of state at home against Des Moines at 6 p.m.