KC, Gallup girls get nod at 1-2 in 4A bracket

WINDOW ROCK

As expected, the top two seeds in the Class 4A girls bracket went to Kirtland Central and Gallup.

The two squads are the premiere teams in that classification, as the New Mexico Activities Association released the entire state bracket for boys and girls Sunday evening.

The opening round games will be played Friday for girls and Saturday for boys.

The Lady Broncos (26-3) enters the field as the defending state champs, having won its 20th state crown last season.

KC starts its title defense with No. 16 Deming (12-15) at 7 p.m.

“After looking at everything, it kind of went exactly how I thought it was gonna be,” KC coach Devon Manning said of the 4A bracket. “We have two teams that that won their district tournaments in Deming and (Albuquerque) Academy who I don’t think we’re going to get in until they won.”

With KC and Gallup on the opposite side of the bracket, the two district rivals could meet for a fifth time this season in the 4A title game. The series between them is dead even at 2-2.

“We’ve been the clear top two teams in the state,” Manning said. “We have three tough games to get there, and I don’t think they’re worried about us right now, and I’m not worried about them.

“Right now, we’re worried about Deming,” he added. “We have to get ready for them.”

Gallup coach Todd McBroom said his team is looking to make some noise as they want to return to the state title game. Last season the 2022 state champs came up one game short of reaching that pinnacle as it came lost to Bernalillo in the semifinals.

“They’re definitely hungry,” McBroom said of his club. “I still have three, four girls that were part of that state championship team two years ago.

“One of the things we talked about is they want to win another state championship,” he said. “They kind of sat on the bench two years ago, and that was their role back then, and now they’re the ones on the court, so there is a hunger there.”

The Lady Bengals (24-5) will open the tournament hosting No. 15 Academy (13-15) at 6 p.m.

District 1-4A also got the Bloomfield Lady Bobcats (17-10) into the playoffs as it will host Highland (16-13) at 6 p.m. in an 8-9 matchup.

In the 3A field, District 1-3A got five teams headed by No. 2 seed Navajo Prep. The Lady Eagles (24-3) will play Dexter (9-18), with the time yet to be determined.

“We were looking for one of the top three, and we clinched the two seed,” longtime Navajo Prep coach Rainy Crisp said.

Like she’s done in the past, Crisp told her girls that once the brackets are released, the seedings don’t matter.

“It’s just and number, and really it gets thrown out the window,” she said. “Any team that makes it to state can win it so that anything can happen.”

At No. 4, the Tohatchi Lady Cougars (20-9) will entertain No. 13 Socorro (9-18) at 6 p.m.

“I’m pleased with it,” Tohatchi coach Tanisha Bitsoi said of the fourth seed. “I feel like wherever you get placed, it doesn’t matter because you have to play these teams anyway, so I’m OK with the way the brackets came out.”

Besides those two squads, the district also had Thoreau at No. 8, followed by Zuni (10) and Crownpoint (11).

Thoreau (18-10) will host No. 9 West Las Vegas (13-14), while Zuni (14-11) will play at No. 7 Santa Fe St. Michael’s (17-11), and Crownpoint (15-13) will be on the road at Albuquerque Sandia Prep (18-9). All of those games are scheduled for 6 p.m.

“I feel like our district was well represented,” Bitsoi said. “We have one of the most competitive districts; it’s the strongest district in 3A. At the end of the season, all of our games were close, so it speaks for itself in how competitive our kids are from around here.”

Girls state pairings

5A
No. 15 West Mesa at No. 2 Farmington at 6 p.m.

4A
No. 9 Highland at No. 8 Bloomfield at 6 p.m.
No. 15 Albuquerque Academy at No. 2 Gallup at 6 p.m.
No. 16 Deming at No. 1 Kirtland Central at 7 p.m.

3A
No. 9 West Las Vegas at No. 8 Thoreau at 6 p.m.
No. 10 Zuni at No. 7 Santa Fe St. Michael’s at 6 p.m.
No. 11 Crownpoint at No. 6 Sandia Prep at 6 p.m.
No. 12 Cuba at No. 5 Tucumcari at 6 p.m.
No. 13 Socorro at No. 4 Tohatchi at 6 p.m.
No. 14 Ruidoso at No. 3 Santa Fe Indian School at 6 p.m.
No. 15 Dexter at No. 2 Navajo Prep, TBD

2A
No. 14 Menaul at No. 3 Laguna Acoma, TBD
No. 11 Penasco at No. 6 Dulce, TBD

1A
No. 12 Dora at No. 5 Alamo Navajo, TBD
No. 13 Jemez Valley at No. 4 To’hajiilee, TBD
No. 15 Magdalena at No. 2 Roy/Mosquero at 5 p.m.

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