Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Two days after conquering Ruidoso for the district title, the Tucumcari girls basketball team learned Sunday it will play the Warriors again in an opening-round Class 3A home playoff game on Friday.
The Logan girls and boys basketball teams earned third and fifth seeds respectively in their Class 1A playoffs. Both will play home games this weekend.
Class 3A girls
The Lady Rattlers (22-3), winners of 10 in a row, earned the fifth seed in Class 3A tournament pairings announced Sunday by the New Mexico Activities Association.
Tucumcari will play district foe and 12th-seeded Ruidoso (13-14) at 6 p.m. Friday in Rattler Gymnasium.
The Lady Rattlers defeated the Warriors in three previous matchups this season, though Ruidoso came within a whisker of sinking a game-winning, last-second shot during its Feb. 23 clash.
“We have a tough game ahead of us for the first round, but we know we can compete with them even when we are shorthanded” due to foul trouble, Tucumcari coach Patrick Benavidez said. “The girls are looking forward to the game and are locked in. They have earned this and hope everyone will come out and rock the Snake Pit.”
The winner will play the winner of a clash between fourth-seeded Santa Fe Indian (17-9) and 13th-seeded Newcomb (12-16) during a quarterfinals game on March 12 at the Rio Rancho Events Center.
The semifinals will be March 14 at Rio Rancho, with the championship at The Pit in Albuquerque oil March 15.
Defending state champion Tohatchi (22-6) is the top seed in the tournament, with Robertson (19-7) seeded second and Navajo Prep (21-9) third.
Class 1A girls
Logan (20-7), winners of eight in a row and the champion of its rugged district, earned the No. 3 seed in the Class 1A playoffs and faces 14th-seeded Alamo Navajo (17-12) in a game at 6 p.m. Friday at Logan.
The winner of that will play the victor of a clash between sixth-seeded Jemez Valley (24-4) and 11th-seeded Springer (16-11) during a quarterfinals game on March 13 at the Bernalillo High School.
The semifinals will be on March 14 at the Rio Rancho Events Center, with the championship on March 16 at The Pit in Albuquerque.
Defending state champion Roy-Mosquero (23-1) earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Cliff (25-2) landed the No. 2 seed.
Logan’s district foes, Fort Sumner (19-7) and Melrose (21-6), earned fourth and seventh seeds respectively.
Class 1A boys
Logan (23-5) landed the No. 5 seed in the Class 1A boys playoffs and will face 12th-seeded Roy-Mosquero (15-11) in an opening game at 6 p.m. Saturday in Logan.
The Longhorns defeated Roy-Mosquero 78-46 in a non-district game on Dec. 2.
The winner of the game at Logan will play the winner of a game between fourth-seeded (and Logan district foe) Melrose (23-4) and 13th-seeded Mesilla Valley Christian (15-10) during a quarterfinal game on March 13 at Bernalillo High School.
The semifinals will be on March 14 at the Rio Rancho Events Center, with the championship at The Pit in Albuquerque on March 16.
Magdalena (27-1) earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament, with defending champion Fort Sumner (20-5) seeded second.
Des Moines (24-3) was seeded third.