Holiday tournament sees Tohatchi, Bloomfield, Piedra Vista and Aztec advance

The Rumble in the Jungle tournament opened Thursday at Lillywhite Gym in Aztec with several San Juan County teams posting decisive wins and advancing in the championship bracket. Tohatchi continued a strong early season run, Bloomfield pulled a late game heroics finish, and Piedra Vista and Aztec girls both dominated their opponents.

Tohatchi improved to 7-1 and collected a fourth straight victory by beating Kirtland Central 47-35. Senior DeAndre Rios led the Cougars with 17 points, 10 of those coming in the second half, while sophomores Myles Candeleria and senior Myka Candeleria combined for 18 points. The Cougars were efficient early, hitting 12 of 18 field goal attempts in the first half, but led by only three at halftime as Kirtland Central sophomore Kollin Brady scored 10 points in the second quarter. Tohatchi is currently ranked eighth in Class 3A in the most recent coaches poll and will face Bayfield in the second round of the championship bracket. "We’ve learned to find ways to win, and we have some really good options on offense," said Tohatchi head coach Kendall Livingston. "We’re going to continue to let our defense dictate what opportunities we have on offense and they’ve stepped for us."

Bloomfield escaped a tense opening game when senior Paxton Morris hit a 21 foot three with four seconds remaining to lift the Bobcats to a 45-43 win over Durango. Morris finished with nine points and senior Luis Caro led Bloomfield with 12. Durango fell to 1-4 on the season, led in the game by junior Boaz Zastrocky with 10 points.

On the girls side Piedra Vista routed Ignacio 51-12, while Aztec rolled past Greyhills Academy 51-4. In boys play Ignacio defeated Aztec 63-42 and Bayfield beat Robertson 52-33, among other results.

Friday features a busy second day of the tournament at Aztec High School with Kirtland Central facing Robertson at 9 a.m., Aztec meeting Durango at noon, and Bloomfield scheduled to face Ignacio in the championship bracket at 6 p.m. For local families and small businesses, the tournament provides community gatherings and increased foot traffic during the holiday break as teams jockey for postseason positioning and regional recognition.