PREP BASKETBALL
NMAA state basketball tournament: semifinals scores and summaries
Here's what happened in class 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A girls semifinals plus class 1A, 4A and 5A boys semifinals in the NMAA state basketball tournament
This article will be updated throughout the day.
Boys Class 5A
Semifinals – Thursday at the Pit
(1) Volcano Vista vs. (4) La Cueva, 4:45 p.m.
(6) Sandia vs. (2) Cleveland, 8:15 p.m.
Girls Class 5A
Semifinals – Wednesday at the Pit
—> (1) Hobbs 66, (4) Albuquerque High 37 | Box score
(3) Rio Rancho vs. (10) Volcano Vista, 1:15 p.m.
Boys Class 4A
Semifinals – Thursday at the Pit
(3) Hope Christian vs. (2) Artesia, 3 p.m.
(1) Highland vs. (5) Taos, 6:30 p.m.
Girls Class 4A
Semifinals – Thursday at the Pit
—> (2) Gallup 54, (3) Albuquerque Academy 44 | Press conference | Box score
The Bengals (27-4) showcased a little bit of championship composure to hold off the Chargers (25-6).
Down 27-21 at halftime, Gallup outscored Academy by 16 points over the final two quarters to advance to the 4A title game for the second consecutive season.
“I told the girls, every time you get up here to Albuquerque, it's never easy. You've got to earn your way in,” said Bengals coach Todd McBroom. “Two years in a row we've been really pushed in the semifinal game. I'm proud of the girls.”
Ball security was critical to Gallup’s success. The Bengals had just seven turnovers compared to 22 for the Chargers. That was especially key in the fourth quarter, when Academy scored just five points and matched Gallup’s turnover total for the game.
“That's championship basketball,” McBroom said. “I was telling them we’ve got to keep it at 10 (turnovers) and under. Let's face it, a lot of my kids have been here, done that before. And so that experience helps.”
Despite dealing with some early foul trouble, Mykeia Vicenti led the Bengals with 13 points and a game-high five steals. The junior point guard also exited the game in the third quarter when she landed hard on her hip following a foul. At that point, the score was tied at 37-37.
Gallup took the lead for good on a corner 3 by Payton Johnson at the end of the third quarter. Vicenti returned shortly thereafter to give her team a boost with a pair of transition layups to extend the margin to 47-40.
“The recovery was really hard,” Vicenti said. “It's still hurting pretty bad, but I couldn't give up on my team. I had to fight through the pain.”
Academy closed to within 47-43 on a three-point play from Lily Skarsgard with 2:38 to play, but that was as close as the Chargers would get. Gallup ended the game on a 7-1 run, scoring all of its points at the charity stripe.
Skarsgard appeared to be fully recovered from an ankle injury suffered in the quarterfinals, as she finished with a game-high 15 points for the Chargers while playing a little more than 30 minutes. Addie Spratley added 12 points for Academy, and 6-foot-6 post Harper Dunn finished with eight points, 15 rebounds and nine blocks.
Johnson and Kayden Tsosie also reached double figures for Gallup with 12 points apiece.
— Tristen Critchfield
(1) Kirtland Central vs. (4) Hope Christian, 11:30 a.m.
Girls Class 3A
Semifinals – Thursday at Rio Rancho Events Center
(2) Santa Fe Indian vs. (3) Robertson, 1:15 p.m.
(1) Navajo Prep vs. (5) Cobre, 8:15 p.m.
Girls Class 2A
Semifinals – Thursday at Rio Rancho Events Center
—> (1) Mesa Vista 49, (4) Laguna-Acoma 28 | Press conference | Box score
(2) Texico vs. (3) Tatum, 4:45 p.m.
Girls Class 1A
Semifinals – Thursday at Rio Rancho Events Center
(3) Roy/Mosquero vs. (2) Cliff, 11:30 a.m.
(1) Logan vs. (5) To’hajiilee, 6:30 p.m.
Boys Class 1A
Semifinals – Thursday at Rio Rancho Events Center
—> (1) Logan 69, (4) Melrose 51 | Press conference | Box score
(3) Cimarron vs. (2) Fort Sumner/House, 3 p.m.
