The high winds and extreme weather in New Mexico on Wednesday caused problems for many travelers and the Lady Cimarron Rams were delayed briefly on the road in getting to Bernalillo for their quarter final game in the NM Girls Class A Basketball Championship. They did arrive in plenty of time for the game, but then the #1 seed Melrose Lady Buffalos delayed the Lady Rams hopes for a championship with a 73-33 win. Melrose turned up a stifling defense and offensively turned loose Nataley Mondragon. Mondragon hit 3 of seven three pointers, was six of eight from the line, ended up with 23 points and had four steals.
Cimarron was close after the first period trailing by eight, but then in the second went as cold as the icy wind outside the gym, hitting only 1 of 16 attempts. That combined with Melrose getting 31 points off of turnovers, made for a long night for the Cimarron faithful.
Bright spots in the game and all year long for Cimarron were seniors Angel Gonzales and Mary Ickes. Angel has started since she was an eighth grader and has really made a lasting impression, ranking as one of the best guards that Cimarron has produced. Playing in her last game as a Lady Ram, Angel had 12 points, but both she and Ickes played the entire 32 minutes, giving it all, until the final horn.
Further complicating the situation was the fact that starters Zoe Salazar and Olivia Perryman both fouled out in the third period. Perryman’s inside play netted 7 points and she also grabbed 7 rebounds.
Cimarron ended the 2018-19 campaign undefeated in District 5A competition and went 19-10 overall.
