KC, Navajo Prep girls win state titles

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Mar 16, 2024 | Basketball |

ALBUQUERQUE

Two years had elapsed since the Kirtland Central girls basketball hoisted a state championship trophy.

For Navajo Prep, the Lady Eagles last won it all during the 2021 pandemic-shortened hoops season.

On Friday the two San Juan County schools were the last ones standing as both programs captured state titles, at the 4A and 3A levels, respectively, at the Pit in Albuquerque.

Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
The Kirtland Central girls basketball team captured the New Mexico Class 4A state title with a 45-33 win over St. Pius X on Friday at the University of New Mexico’s Pit in Albuquerque.

The top-seeded KC Lady Broncos held No. 2 seed St. Pius X to 10 points in the second half to claim the Class 4A state crown with a 45-33 win.

The latest state championship was KC’s 21st after New Mexico’s most storied program came up short to Gallup in last season’s state title game.

“Special is the right word,” KC coach Danny Manning said of describing his team. “From last year to now, I looked at myself in what I needed to do to change a little bit for the program. When it came down to it they weren’t really receptive at the beginning.

“But I think they just bought in from the very beginning when we had to go to Page, Arizona, and play in a tournament with three days of practice,” he added. “We just kind of winged it; we had tough competition and after we won that tournament I knew we had something special.”

In the 3A state title game, Navajo Prep outscored archrival Tohatchi 24 to 9 in the second half as the Eagles produced a 41-26 victory in this heated rivalry.

“We felt the heartache of losing to Santa Fe Indian School in the semifinal round,” longtime Navajo Prep coach Rainy Crisp said. “That was a really tough loss for us last year. We made a goal of not letting that happen again.”

For a more in-depth story pick up next week’s Navajo Times.