Roy/Mosquero Lady Blue went into the NM Class A girls semifinal game at the Rio Rancho Events Center with a 17 game win streak and the Blue defense ground a potent Animas offense to a halt in both the second and fourth periods, to earn a 55 – 39 win and their second trip to the Championship game in the last three years.
Animas’ Azure Green kept the Panthers close in the first with 8 points and the Panthers had a one point advantage at the end of the first 8 minutes. But then the Lady Blue turned the defense up a notch and held Animas to 3 points in the second, while sophomore Sylvania Baca got the hot hand on offense and Roy/Mosquero had a 12 point advantage at the break.
Animas would cut the lead to 8 at the end of the third, but the Lady Blue defense iced Animas again in the fourth holding them to 6 points.
Unlike in the quarterfinals when they didn’t put down a single three-pointer, Roy/Mosquero made 4 three-pointers in the game, 2 by Baca and one by Natalie Smith and the pair poured in 13 apiece, while Animas’ Addy Offutt had 17 to lead all scorers.
Lady Blue had 12 contributed by Tanna Krisp, 8 from Nora Crisp; 6 from Selma Baca and 3 from Tayla Profitt.
With the win their record improves to 27-2, and they will head to the UNM Pit for a championship dance on Saturday, March 11 at 10 am against To’hajiilee who upset #1 Melrose by one in the other semi-final on Thursday.
