By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
WWWOOOWWW!! Wipe the sweat off the brow, take a deep breath, as the Roy/Mosquero Lady Blue held on in the last seconds of the game to celebrate bringing home the Class 1A Girls NM State Championship trophy for the second time in three years with a heart-stopping 62 – 61 win over To’hajiilee.
The first quarter gave an indication of how things would later play out in the game. Roy/Mosquero’s defense had several steals and forced turnovers and bulged out to a five-point early advantage, before the Lady Warriors came back to tie and go ahead. Roy/Mosquero was on top by one at the first quarter buzzer. The Lady Blue were cold shooting from the field most of the day but with second-chance points and their solid defense, managed to outscore the Lady Warriors by six in the second quarter to go into the locker room up by a 31-24 score.
A scene that had played out several times in post-season play for the Lady Blue, was them taking a lead and then extending for the win in the second half. Blue would extend the lead to 13 in the third quarter, but the Lady Warriors had some comeback magic, led by the passing prowess of Alyce Apachito.
As the second half began Roy/Mosquero extended their lead to as much as 13. Then the lightning struck for Tohajiilee they tied the game at 54 all and then Lady Blue found themselves trailing the Tohajiilee Lady Warriors, after a couple of lead changes and the furious assault with a nine-point scoring run and with the help of several Lady Blue turnovers.
The fourth quarter saw four lead changes as the nail biter game came down to the free throws.
The game was tied at 61 as the clock ticked below the 10-second mark in the fourth quarter. A Lady Blue free throw by Tanna Crisp and missed oppotunities including missing second and third chance put-backs and a set of free throws by Tohajiilee left the Lady Blue up by one with only two seconds left on the clock. An inbound pass would end it and give Roy/Mosquero the game.
At that point the Lady Blue fans erupted in joy with hoops and hollers as the Lady Blue brought home the championship trophy.
When it was all said and done, the Lady Blue at the charity line were 14 of 23 besting the Lady Warriors who finished with 11 of 21 free throws.
The Lady Blue could only manage a 35% scoring average from the field as they put up 64 shots making only 23. The Lady Warriors faired better with a 48% completion rate putting up 48 shots and making 23. The Lady Blue defense shined under the net pulling down not only the defensive but also the offensive rebounds needed to add points to the board. The Lady Blue pulled down 23 offensive rebounds to the Lady Warriors nine. The Lady Blue ended up with 44 total rebounds while the Lady Warriors brought down 32.
It was noted in the post-game interview that it seemed the Lady Blue played a better game when things got chaotic. Coach Blair Clavel noted it has been that way most of the season. The Lady Blue finish the season 28-2 and will graduate two Seniors, Tanna Crisp and Selma Baca.
Tohajiilee 13 11 17 20 – 61
Roy/Mosquero 14 17 13 18 – 62
Tohajiilee / High Point
Donata Secatero 15 – 1 of 3 free throws
Cadence Secatero 12 – 1 of 2 free throws
Tyler Rose Apachito 12 – 4 of 7 free throws
Alyce Apachito 13 – 3 of 5 free throws – 7 assists
Free throws 11 of 21 attempts
Roy/Mosquero / High Point
Tanna Crisp 21 – 7 of 12 free throws – 7 steals
Sylvania Baca 18 – 6 of 8 free throws
Natalie Smith 13 – 0 of 1 free throws
Selma Baca 4
Nora Crisp 4
Tayla Proffitt 2
Free throws 14 of 23 attempts
