Prep Roundup: Lady Braves roll to Brian Gallegos Tournament championship
Dec. 5—Girls basketball
Santa Fe Indian School 47, Peñasco 19
What happened: The Lady Braves sandwich strong first and fourth quarters between less-than-stellar play in the other two. It was enough to win the West Las Vegas Brian Gallegos Tournament against the Class 2A Lady Panthers on Saturday. Peñasco trailed 19-4 after one quarter, and 31-16 heading into the third before SFIS went on a closing 16-3 run.
Top players: Jordan Torres led the Lady Braves with 11 points, while Madison Valdez and Emma Lewis each had eight. Maricela MacAuley paced Peñasco with eight.
What's next: SFIS (6-0) plays at Capital on Tuesday. Peñasco (3-1) entertains Dulce at home Thursday.
Capital 43, Pecos 39
What happened: The Lady Jaguars rebounded from a season-opening loss to Pojoaque Valley on Thursday by rallying from a 32-30 deficit heading into the fourth quarter. They outscored the Lady Panthers 13-7 to pull it off.
Top players: Amerie Romero topped Capital with 11 points. Pecos had Natalia Stout score 11, as well.
What's next: Capital (1-1) entertains SFIS on Tuesday. The Lady Panthers (1-1) play East Mountain at home Tuesday.
Santa Fe Prep 49, Santa Fe Waldorf 15
What happened: The Blue Griffins were rude hosts to the Lady Wolves return to varsity basketball by scoring 38 points in the first half in Prep Gymnasium. Waldorf had played with Desert Academy as a co-op squad for two years before Desert Academy folded. Waldorf did not compete in basketball in the spring.
"We came out really hot in the first half," Prep head coach Anika Amon said. "In the second half, we really utilized the opportunity to get our younger players some experience."
Top players: Katherina Bair led Prep with 21 points, while Anna Knight added 10. Ria Baker scored seven points for Waldorf.
What's next: Prep (1-0) plays Tierra Encantada on Dec. 11. Waldorf (0-1) plays at Academy for Technology and the Classics on Tuesday.
Mora 31, Monte del Sol 23
What happened: It was yet another case of almost rallying for the Lady Dragaons. As was the case in the first games of Santa Rosa's Lady Lion Classic, they fell behind 10-4 to the Rangerettes in the opening quarter. Monte del Sol cut the margin to 17-14 at the half, but struggled to score again in the second half as Mora took seventh place in the tournament.
Top players: Daisy Ortiz led the Lady Dragons with nine points, while Araceli Peña added eight.
What's next: Monte del Sol (0-4) travels to Mesa Vista on Tuesday. Mora (1-4) plays at West Las Vegas on Dec. 14.
Boys basketball
Mora 53, Monte del Sol 33
What happened: It was just coincidence that the boys teams also played each other, as the Dragons trailed 27-10 at the half. Monte del Sol struggled from the field, hitting just 14 of 48 shots. Meanwhile, Mora enjoyed a healthy advantage at the free-throw line, hitting 11 of 24 attempts while the Dragons had only one shot at the stripe.
Top players: Kevin Enriquez led the Dragons with 20 points, but no other teammate had more than six. Joaquin Barela led a group of eight Rangers who scored with 12 points.
What's next: Mora (2-2) plays Native American Community Academy on Dec. 11. Monte del Sol (0-1) travels to Mesa Vista on Tuesday.
