Tohatchi cruises past Cuba in first round of 3A state tournament

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

TOHATCHI, N.M. – The Tohatchi Lady Cougars wasted little time establishing control in their opening-round matchup of the NMAA Class 3A girls state basketball playoffs, dismantling the Cuba Lady Rams 65-24 on Friday night.

A blistering 18-0 start in the first seven minutes set the tone for Tohatchi (19-10), which saw contributions from 10 different scorers. Junior guard Maddie Pasquale led the way with 15 points in three quarters, while the Lady Cougars buried 10 three-pointers compared to Cuba’s lone trey.

Tohatchi opened the game firing on all cylinders, with six players getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter. Pasquale led the charge with a pair of 3-pointers for six points, while the defense held Cuba without a field goal until the final minute. Junior Latishia Nez scored the Lady Rams’ only point at the free-throw line as Tohatchi built an 18-2 lead after one.

Special to the Times | Lee Begaye
Tohatchi junior guard Maddie Pasquale (14) attempts a 3-point shot during Tohatchi’s dominating 65-24 win over the Cuba Lady Rams Friday night in the 2025 NMAA 3A girls state playoff game.

Cuba looked to attack the paint in the second quarter, drawing seven trips to the free-throw line, but managed just four points while missing 10 shots at the stripe.

Tohatchi continued to roll, with senior guard Yaya Peterson knocking down two 3-pointers and junior forward Shylynn Johnson adding five points. By halftime, the Lady Cougars were in full control, leading 33-10.

Any hopes of a Cuba comeback were erased in the third quarter as Tohatchi pushed the game even further out of reach. The Lady Cougars outscored the Lady Rams 22-10 in the period, extending their lead to 55-20.

Pasquale reasserted herself with seven points in the quarter, while Tohatchi continued its balanced scoring attack with contributions from six other players. Cuba found some rhythm at the free throw line, with junior Cara Toledo going 3-of-4 to lead the Lady Rams with five points in the quarter.

With the game all but decided and the running clock in effect, senior Jewelisa Jimmie took over late, scoring eight of Tohatchi’s final 10 points. Cuba managed just two field goals in the final quarter as the Lady Cougars wrapped up the dominant win, 65-24.

Tohatchi head coach Tanisha Bitsoi acknowledged her team’s strong start but emphasized the need for continued improvement.

“We took care of business to move on to the next round, but we need to clean up a few things,” Bitsoi said. “We need to move the ball more and work it inside. We just need to establish a rotation so we are set in the right positions.”

The road gets tougher from here. Up next, Tohatchi faces No. 4 seed Robertson (20-9) in the second round—a rematch from Nov. 26, when the Lady Cardinals handed the Lady Cougars a 37-27 loss early in the season. The quarterfinal matchup is set for Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. at the Rio Rancho Events Center.