Rehoboth Christian, Farmington, KC, Gallup girls move into second round

WINDOW ROCK

Seven of the top eight seeds in the Class 2A girls’ bracket advanced on Friday night.

The list of winners includes No. 5 Rehoboth Christian as the Lady Lynx (19-8) escaped with a 48-42 win over No. 12 Mescalero Apache.

“Both teams played well,” Rehoboth coach Adrian Pete said. “It was back and forth the whole game. You know, our press created some turnovers, and that resulted in layups.”

In 5A, No. 4 seed Farmington (27-2) move into the next round with a 53-35 win over district rival Eldorado while No. 15 seed Piedra Vista put up a valiant effort before falling to No. 2 seed Hobbs by a 64-52 count.

“It was a long week, and we were really relaxed, but, you know, these are high school kids,” Farmington coach Larenson Henderson said. “We took care of business, and we got this one out of the way. Now we’re looking forward to the second round.”

Henderson said they got control from the onset as the Scorpions were up by 10 points throughout most of the game.

“We started coming around in the third quarter, and we got up by at least 21,” he said.

Nevertheless, the Farmington coach said they missed a ton of layups.

“Those are easy baskets that we need to capitalize on,” he said. “But I think this is a big stage for the girls. I mean, we had a great crowd, and we have a huge following, so sometimes it’s a shell-shocker to the girls.”

Junior Tanaya Parrish led Farmington as she finished with 10 points. Sisters Kapiolani and Kamalani Anitielu had nine each while older sibling Kiiyani Anitielu had eight.

“The points were all spread out,” Henderson said. “We turned in a good book tonight, and everybody put in their points.

Farmington will host No. 5 Las Cruces on Tuesday as the Bulldawgs got past No. 12 Clovis 50-41.

“We played them already, and they were aggressive,” Henderson said. “They were very quick too, so it’s gonna be a fun game playing them a second time.

“They’re a good competitive team, so we need to get after it,” he said.

In the 4A bracket, top-seeded Kirtland Central (24-5) and No. 2 Gallup (24-4) also advanced.

The Lady Broncos defeated district foe Miyamura 60-29 while Gallup won big, besting No. 15 Chaparral by an 88-15 count.

KC will host No. 8 Valencia in the next round while Gallup will take on No. 7 Moriarty at home. Both games are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

At Rehoboth, Pete said the lead was no greater than three points throughout the 32-minute contest.

“We had to stay poise,” he said. “We had to make our free throws, and we took some good shots, so we executed on the offensive end.”

The Lynx will now focus its attention on Penasco, the tournament No. 4 seed. The game will be played at Penasco on Tuesday, with the tipoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

“We played them at the beginning of the year, so it’s going to be a good one,” Pete said.

Incidentally, Penasco ousted Rehoboth in the state quarterfinals two years ago.

“Our seniors remember that; they were sophomore, and five of them were on the varsity team,” Pete said. “If we do what we need to do, you know, we’ll have a chance.

“It’s whoever comes out and plays their best, executes and get stops defensively is going to win the game,” he added.

In addition to the Lynx, the sixth seed Laguna-Acoma also advanced in the 2A bracket with a 48-43 win over Lordsburg. The Lady Hawks will travel to Eunice for the second round on Tuesday with the game scheduled for 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, No. 15 Dulce was eliminated 54-50 by No. 2 Clayton.

To’hajiilee posted a 43-39 win over Reserve in an 8-9 matchup in the small schools division. Alamo Navajo and Magdalene were ousted, with Alamo Navajo coming up short to No. 5 seed Roswell Gateway Christian 55-32 while Magdalena was on the wrong end of Maxwell’s 4-31 decision.

To’hajiilee takes on top seed Animas on the road on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

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