Eagles defend title, soar to Metro Championships victory

There isn’t another girls basketball team in New Mexico that needs a break more than the Hobbs Eagles.

They’ve earned the rest, brief though it will be.

The third-ranked team in Class 5A on Saturday completed one of the most grueling stretches one can imagine. In fact, Hobbs has played more than a third (nine) of its regular-season game limit (26) during this frantic 13-day period that started Dec. 29.

Day No. 13 was Saturday, and the Eagles – allowed to sleep in, a gift from coach Joe Carpenter – successfully defended their title at the Albuquerque Metro Championships, taking down No. 4 Albuquerque High 56-45 in the final at Del Norte on Saturday afternoon.

“We got a little grit to us, we got a little fight to us,” Carpenter said. His Eagles improved to 15-2. “I was questioning about whether our young ones would have a little fight to them when they got challenged.”

Hobbs competed in its holiday tournament from Dec. 29-31, then turned around and played Centennial and Organ Mountain last weekend. Then came metros, and a demanding four-games-in-five-days format 330 miles from home.

But Hobbs sliced through La Cueva in the quarters, won a tough battle with Kirtland Central on Friday in the semis, then solved first-time metro finalist Albuquerque High (10-3) on Saturday.

There wasn’t much sizzle in a slog of a first half, which ended with the Eagles leading 16-15.

“This is not how we play,” Hobbs junior shooting guard Kacelynn Muniez said, referring to a team discussion. “We’re way better than this. So we need to show them.”

Savannah Combs of AHS gave her team its first lead – actually, it was the Bulldogs’ only lead – on the low post to start the third quarter.

Hobbs led 21-20 when the game’s key sequence arrived.

Matysen Zepeda hit a free throw for the Eagles. She missed the second. Teammate Xoey Ross rebounded, kicked it out to the top of the key to Muniez, who buried a 3-pointer for a four-point trip and a 25-20 lead.

Muniez buried six 3s on Friday in the semifinals, but missed all four of her tries from distance in the first half. That was her first make of the day.

“I was in my head, but once I got out of it, and I saw I was wide open, I just shot it,” she said.

It was arguably the most crucial few seconds of the contest.

“I thought it was, too,” senior guard Aliana Armitige said. “We do a great job when the game gets tense like that. We learn how to come together, especially when the other team gets rowdy.”

Armitige added a shot off the glass, and two free throws stretched the Hobbs lead to nine at 29-20. The Bulldogs never were able to overcome this, and were not closer than six points the rest of the way.

Not that freshman guard Abby Pavia and senior post/forward Combs didn’t try their best to give AHS a shot. That duo combined to score all but three of Albuquerque High’s points. Pavia finished with 23 points, Combs 19.

By contrast, Hobbs had scoring balance. Armitige finished with 12 points, Zepeda 11, Muniez 12 (all in the second half).

“I feel like we learned we can push through anything,” Armitige said. “Today showed that we have what it takes to be the best.”

Their schedule won’t give them an immediate respite. Hobbs travels to Las Cruces on Tuesday, and they’ll hit the road again Friday, to Moriarty for a huge neutral-site matchup with No. 2-ranked Farmington.

“Holy Toledo,” Carpenter said with a weary smile. “We’re worn out.”