Metro champs Hobbs routs top-ranked Scorpions in rematch

MORIARTY – The natural inclination was to inquire with the Hobbs Eagles how they possibly could have managed to lose to Farmington the first time.

“We did not want to lose to them again,” said Hobbs junior shooting guard Kacelynn Muniez. “Farmington is a great team, but we knew we shouldn’t have lost to them.”

The recently crowned metro girls basketball champions were crisp and energetic from the opening tip. They led by 14 points midway through the first quarter, by 24 not even halfway through the second quarter, and No. 2-ranked Hobbs (17-2) impressively beat the brakes off No. 1 Farmington 70-43 on Friday night at neutral-site Moriarty High School.

Whatever went right for the Scorpions on New Year’s Eve — in the championship game of the Hobbs Holiday Tournament where Farmington beat the Eagles 65-62 at Ralph Tasker Arena — was both literally and metaphorically sooooo last year.

The rematch at Moriarty, now featuring the top two ranked girls basketball teams in Class 5A, fizzled from the start, thanks to a superior performance by Hobbs.

“We took it personal; losing at our tournament,” said eighth-grade guard Xoey Ross, who scored 19 points in Friday’s victory. “We just gave them our best.”

For the Scorpions (14-2), their only other loss this season came to Four Corners rival Kirtland Central on Dec. 19.

Loss No. 2 went south quickly and emphatically on Friday night as Hobbs turned Farmington over eight times in the first quarter alone.

Muniez (who canned six 3s and led Hobbs with 20 points) buried an early 3-pointer for the Eagles, and Ross later hit a 3 for a 16-2 lead with 3:22 to go in the first. Farmington coach Tom Adair’s girls were powerless to stop what was happening.

“You get in a hole, you have to play perfect basketball to get out of that hole, and we didn’t play perfect basketball,” Adair said.

Senior point guard Matysen Zepeda added a 3 and a mid-range basket for a 21-6 Hobbs lead to end the first quarter.

A 9-0 run in the second quarter, highlighted by another 3 from Muniez, plus a long jumper by Kareli Rivera and a short shot off the glass by Ross stretched the Hobbs lead to 34-12.

“They came out fired up,” Adair said, “and we didn’t respond.”

Farmington was never closer than 16 points after that burst in the second quarter. Hobbs, which ran the floor extremely well and shot it nicely from the perimeter, led by as many as 31 points.

“When we’re shooting it,” Hobbs coach Joe Carpenter said, “we’re really hard to beat.”

Zepeda scored 14 points, Aliana Armitige 10 for Hobbs.

“We got a little complacent (when we lost to them on Dec. 31,” Muniez said. “Today, we didn’t get complacent and we were ready to play.”

Kjani Anitielu of Farmington led all scorers with 25 points, but 11 of those came in the fourth quarter when the game had long since been decided.

Both teams have been heavy on the travel of late. Hobbs spent all of last week in Albuquerque for the metro tournament, and visited Las Cruces earlier this week. Farmington had a huge road win at Gallup earlier this week, and the Scorpions are back in the metro area on Tuesday for a huge District 1-5A opener versus third-ranked Rio Rancho.

“We’ve got to put this one behind us and learn from it,” Adair said.

Said Carpenter, “They are a good team, believe me. They’re gonna be a tough beat (in March).”

HOPE TOURNAMENT: Los Lunas and Hope Christian’s girls, plus Artesia and Hope’s boys, won semifinal games Friday at the Huskies’ annual event.

The girls championship game is 5 p.m. Saturday, followed by the boys at 7 p.m.