Lady Broncos open district season with win over Gallup; Scorps boys fall at home
- Newcomb boys basketball have won five straight to open District 1-3A season after beating Wingate
- Eldorado's boys and girls squads open District 2-5A season with big wins over Piedra Vista
FARMINGTON — A wild night of district basketball across San Juan County saw the Kirtland Central High School girls basketball team knock off the Gallup Bengals, while the Farmington High boys basketball team stumbled out of the gate of their district campaign, losing at home to Sandia.
Here's a look at the Tuesday night scores from local and area teams.
Girls Basketball
KIRTLAND CENTRAL 50, Gallup 45
The Kirtland Central Lady Broncos opened their District 1-4A schedule with a big win at home, knocking off the state's top-ranked Class 4A Gallup Bengals by a final of 50-45 in front of a near-full house at Bronco Arena.
Playing without several of their top stars, Gallup fell behind early, trailing 10-3 at the end of the first quarter and down 21-12 at the half. Kirtland Central slowed the game down offensively, controlling the pace well and keeping the Lady Bengals off the board for more than 4 1/2 minutes of the first quarter.
The Lady Bengals played the game without Jordan Joe and Hailey Long, as well as Katherine Lincoln and Dakotah Spencer, which limited their roster.
Kirtland Central got big performances from Aisha Ramone, who was sharp from behind the 3-point line, as well as Hailey Jackson and Adriana Nargo, who pulled down rebounds and picked up baskets inside the lane.
Gallup (12-2) came into the contest with only one loss on the season and was ranked atop the latest MaxPreps poll in Class 4A. Kirtland came into the game as the third-ranked team in Class 4A and have now won four in a row, improving their record to 12-4 on the season.
Gallup will host cross-town rival Miyamura on Friday at 7 p.m.
The Lady Broncos will look to extend their win streak Friday night when they visit the Chieftain Pit to face Shiprock. Kirtland Central has won five of their last six meetings against Shiprock dating back to the 2019-20 season.
More:NMAA announces changes to state championships schedules and fan participation
ELDORADO 56, Piedra Vista 35
Freshman Bella Hines, already the leading scorer on the Eldorado High School girls basketball team in scoring this season, had another banner night on Tuesday at Piedra Vista High School, scoring a season-high 38 points as the Golden Eagles overwhelmed the Panthers 56-35 at the Jerry A. Conner Fieldhouse.
Hines, who came into the game averaging nearly 26 points per game, immediately took center stage against the Lady Panthers, hitting eight three-point shots and leading the Lady Golden Eagles to a convincing win over Piedra Vista.
The Panthers played most of the game without their star senior Lanae Billy, who left the game in the second quarter due to an injury.
"We kind of panicked when (Billy) left the game," said Piedra Vista coach Joe Reed. "It took the wind out of our sails."
Billy, who was named one of the nation's players of the week by MaxPreps and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association for her recent efforts, is considered day-to-day for her return.
"We won't know the extent of her injury until Thursday," Reed said.
Eldorado (7-7) came into the District 2-5A opener having lost three of their last four games, while Piedra Vista (13-4) saw their five-game win streak come to an end.
The Lady Panthers will play their first road game in nearly three weeks when they visit La Cueva (11-4) on Saturday afternoon. Per a ruling this week from Albuquerque Public Schools, spectators will not be allowed to attend the game.
More:High school basketball district play begins this week around San Juan County
FARMINGTON 74, Sandia 48
Jumping out to an early lead and never really being threatened, the Farmington High School girls basketball season opened their district campaign the same way they'd performed all season long, rolling over Sandia 74-48 at Sandia High School.
The Lady Scorpions, the third-ranked team in the state and second-ranked in Class 5A according to the latest polling by MaxPreps, scored the game's first 15 points and led by a margin of 17-6 after one quarter, then proceeded to outscore the Lady Matadors (11-4) 43-24 in the second half, improving to 17-0 on the season.
Senior Kiiyani Anitielu scored 21 of her game-high 29 points in the final three periods.
The Lady Scorpions have outscored their opponents this season by an average margin of nearly 29 points this season. They'll be on the road again this Saturday when they face West Mesa at 2:30 p.m. Per a ruling this week from Albuquerque Public Schools, spectators will not be allowed to attend the game.
More:Wrestling and swim teams make big strides to state titles in recent meets
BLOOMFIELD 54, Shiprock 38
The Bloomfield High School girls basketball team opened their district campaign on a winning note, slipping away from Shiprock 54-38 at Bobcat Arena on Tuesday night.
The Lady Bobcats played much of the game without leading scorer Danielle Johnson, who left the game late in the second quarter with an injury having scored eight points. Bloomfield relied on the hot hand of junior Millie Yazzie, who scored 11 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter as Bloomfield outscored the Lady Chieftains 31-15 in the second half.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak as Bloomfield (7-9) looks to keep pace in the District 1-4A race. They'll be at home on Friday night to face Aztec. Shiprock falls to 3-13 on the season and has lost five straight. They'll be home on Friday night to face Kirtland Central.
WINGATE 64, Newcomb 24
The Wingate High School girls basketball team opened their District 1-3A season with a romping 64-24 win Tuesday night at Newcomb.
The Lady Bears snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 3-5 on the season, while the Lady Skyhawks have dropped 11 straight and fall to 3-13. Newcomb is 0-2 in district play, having lost to Thoreau last week 68-19. Newcomb has lost their two district matchups by a combined score of 132-43.
Both Wingate and Newcomb will be in action on Wednesday, with the Lady Bears set to host Navajo Prep while Newcomb will visit Tohatchi.
Boys Basketball
SANDIA 53, Farmington 46
The Sandia High School boys basketball team opened their District 2-5A season with an upset win on the road Tuesday night, knocking off Farmington 53-46 in front of a packed house at Scorpion Arena.
Farmington led the game 25-20 at the half, led by Cody Vassar-Steen and his team-high total of 18 points. The Matadors clawed their way back into the game during the third quarter, thanks to a size advantage which allowed Sandia to have a slim lead heading into the final frame.
More:Weekly high school sports results
"We couldn't get a basket when we needed it in the third quarter," said Scorpions coach Larry-Don Chitty.
Senior point guard Sean Johnson, the Matadors leading scorer, helped put the game away late in the fourth quarter as Sandia won their fifth straight game.
"(Johnson) really went to work in the second half," Chitty said.
The Scorpions (15-2) will be back in action on Saturday when they host West Mesa.
ELDORADO 72, Piedra Vista 38
The Eldorado High School boys basketball team opened their district campaign with a convincing 72-38 home win Tuesday night over Piedra Vista.
The Golden Eagles (7-8) pulled clear of the Panthers early and earned their second win in their last three games.
Piedra Vista (7-10) has lost five of their last six games and will have a chance to bounce back on Saturday at home against La Cueva.
NEWCOMB 62, Wingate 52
The Newcomb High School boys basketball team won five straight, and have improved to 2-0 in District 1-3A play after a 62-52 win Tuesday night at home over Wingate.
The Skyhawks (10-6) are led by junior Javarius John, who's scored in double digits in each of his last five games. Newcomb will look to keep their win streak intact on Thursday at 7 p.m. when they host Tohatchi.
Steve Bortstein can be reached via email at SBortstein@Gannett.com, via Twitter @DTSBortstein or on the phone at (505) 635-2680.