San Juan County Teams Shine in NMAA Girls Basketball State Tournament

Five San Juan County girls basketball programs carried the region's banner into the second round of the NMAA state tournament this week, with top seeds, long odds, and deep tournament runs all in play before Saturday's championships at The Pit in Albuquerque.

Kirtland Central entered Tuesday as the No. 1 seed in Class 4A, facing ninth-seeded Lovington at 3 p.m. at The Pit. Fellow county program Shiprock, seeded 11th, drew one of the tournament's toughest early matchups against third-seeded Albuquerque Academy in an 11:30 a.m. tipoff at the same venue.

In Class 5A, second-seeded Farmington faced 10th-seeded Volcano Vista at 8:15 p.m. at The Pit, giving the Lady Scorpions a favorable bracket position heading into the later rounds.

The Class 3A bracket brought two more county programs into action at the Rio Rancho Events Center. Top-seeded Navajo Prep, the tournament favorite in the classification, squared off against eighth-seeded Tohatchi at 4:45 p.m. Newcomb, seeded seventh, faced a stiff test against second-seeded Santa Fe Indian School at 8:15 p.m. at the same facility.

The county's strong girls tournament showing came on the heels of opening-night performances that drew notice across the region. Bloomfield also made headlines March 6 with a runaway win over Navajo Prep, though that result came in boys play.

On the boys side, Navajo Prep returned to the court Wednesday in the Class 3A second round, seeded fourth against fifth-seeded Santa Fe Indian School at 8:15 p.m. at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

All surviving teams converged on the final rounds Thursday through Saturday, with the NMAA crowning champions across all classifications Saturday at The Pit.

The basketball tournament was not the only competition pulling county athletes south this week. Navajo Prep's baseball team traveled to Gallup on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. game, and the Piedra Vista Invitational on Thursday packed the schedule with county matchups: Kirtland Central against Aztec at 11 a.m., Bloomfield against Farmington at 4 p.m., and Shiprock hosting Navajo Prep in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.