Lordsburg Girls Win District 3-2A Title, Advance to NMAA State Tournament

Lordsburg High School's girls basketball team defeated the Mescalero Apache Lady Chiefs 56-46 at the Lordsburg-hosted District 3-2A final on Feb. 28, pulling away late to claim the district crown and finish district play 8-0, 2nd Life Media reported. The Mavericks entered the game with an 18-7 overall mark at the time of the district title, and the victory secured their advance to the NMAA State Tournament.

Mescalero closed its season 12-16 overall and 6-2 in district play, with key scoring in the final supplied by Kaylyn Chino, who led the Lady Chiefs with 13 points. Elizabeth Rocha added 12 points, Taylynn Ahidley had 9, and Bridgette Blake scored 8 in the district final, according to 2nd Life Media. Chino had earlier poured in 17 points in Mescalero's district semifinal, a 56-31 win over Capitan, as the Lady Chiefs pushed deep into the postseason.

The Basin’s other district title weekend saw Dexter host and defeat Tularosa 45-39 to claim the District 4-3A crown; Dexter closed the district slate 6-0 and 20-5 overall while Tularosa finished 3-3 in district and 16-12 overall, 2nd Life Media reported. Local fitness coach and sports analyst Rene Sepulveda lauded the area finals, saying, “These two programs represented our area well all season and gave everything they had in the finals,” and “From the Lady Chiefs’ fight to the Lady Cats’ consistency, it was a great showing for Basin basketball.”

With the district championships decided, 2nd Life Media reported the state playoffs were set to begin March 6 and that the New Mexico Activities Association would release full brackets and schedules in the coming days. The state tournament games were staged at Albuquerque’s Santa Ana Star Center, and Taos News reported that late on Wednesday, March 11 the NMAA announced fans would no longer be allowed because of coronavirus concerns; Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham limited attendance to 100 people and the NMAA was deciding who would be included among those allowed to attend.

Taos News reported that No. 1 seed Peñasco, listed at 30-2, defeated No. 4 Lordsburg 64-57 at the Santa Ana Star Center on March 12 to advance to the Girls 2A state title game. Taos News noted Angie Aguilar scored the first points for Lordsburg, Karissa Delagarza hit two 3-pointers early in the fourth to pull the Mavericks within seven after Peñasco had held a double-digit lead, and Lordsburg got within one at 55-56 more than halfway through the fourth. Peñasco then outscored Lordsburg 8-2 in the final two minutes to finish the 64-57 victory, and Peñasco head coach Mandy Montoya called her team’s late run “the refusal to lose,” adding, “We stayed aggressive. They played smart. And we tried to control the tempo. We relaxed a bit and took care of it.” Montoya later said, “We're feeling good.”

Lordsburg’s Feb. 28 district title and perfect 8-0 district record provide a clear measure of the program’s season inside the Basin, while Mescalero’s gritty semifinal and final performances highlighted the community pride on the hardwood. The Mavericks’ state tournament berth and the NMAA’s mid-tournament attendance restrictions leave Basin programs and supporters gauging postseason outcomes both on the court and in the stands.