Billy Donati
KRTN Multi-Media
The Cimarron Rams girls basketball team has a strong history of exceptional play and the 2015 team made a great tournament run to make it to the NM Class A Girls State Championship game on Friday, March 13 at the UNM Pit in Albuquerque.
Although it was Friday the 13th, it was not bad luck that defeated the Lady Rams 75-26, but a #1 seed Elida team that had nothing but good play and good luck shooting as they netted a 42 % average for the game. From the opening 3 point shot, nailed less than 15 seconds into the game, to a smothering press that the Cimarron girls had trouble with all game, the Elida Lady Tigers proved their top-seeding was no fluke. With the victory, their fifth straight state championship, the word dynasty is not too strong of a description of the team.
The defeat was certainly not the way the trio of Seniors Jessica Pittman, Selina Rael and Amy Gonzales wanted to end their high school career, but each contributed to three straight wins in the preliminary rounds including a 56-36 opening round win over Quemado, a 51-41 quarterfinal win over Mosquero and a 49-45 nail-biter for a semifinal win over Cliff. Coach Patricia LeDoux, who coached the 2009 Rams to a State Championship surely deserves mention in the discussion for a nomination for Coach-of-the-Year, by taking the team from virtually nowhere last year to a 25-5 record this year and a state runner-up trophy.
