SFIS improved to 5-0 in taking the Brian Gallegos Memorial tournament title
Dec. 4—Girls basketball
Santa Fe Indian School 43, West Las Vegas 25
What happened: The Lady Braves continued their strong start to the season, outscoring the host Lady Dons 17-6 in the fourth quarter to pull away for the Brian Gallegos Memorial Tournament title in Gillie Lopez Gymnasium. West Las Vegas struggled in the second quarter, with Tyra Horner's 3-pointer being the only points as SFIS after a 20-10 halftime lead, but the margin was cut to 26-19 heading to the fourth.
Top players: Kendra Emery and Madisen Valdez each had 10 points to lead the Lady Braves, while the Lady Dons were led by LillyAnn Martinez's 15 points.
What's next: SFIS returns home to play Capital on Tuesday. West Las Vegas (3-2) next plays Fairfax, Ariz., in the opening round of Capital's Al Armendariz Tournament on Thursday.
Academy for Technology and the Classics 44, Maxwell 8
What happened: The Phoenix were in shutdown defense mode in the first half, allowing the Lady Bears just a Jayden Turner bucket in fashioning a 20-2 halftime lead that was never threatened.
Top players: Jada Gallegos had 13 points to lead ATC, while Nazarae Romero added 10.
What's next: The Phoenix (3-2) play McCurdy at home Monday.
Boys basketball
Capital 60, Abq. West Mesa 49
What happened: The Jaguars will gladly take a 1-1 split record after playing Rio Rancho Cleveland and the Mustangs in an 18-hour span. Capital turned up the defensive intensity and allowed West Meas just 20 points in the opening half to take a 37-20 lead at the break. Not even a five-point quarter could undo all of that good work, as the Mustangs only trimmed the margin to 42-30 heading into the fourth.
Top players: Santiago Bencomo had 14 points to lead Capital, while Isaac Ortega followed a 27-point performance against the Storm with 12 points. Elijah Brody paced West Mesa with 16 points, and Brandon Lagunas added 10.
What's next: Capital (2-2) plays Tohatchi in the opening round of the Al Armendariz Tournament on Thursday.
Monte del Sol 53, McCurdy 45
What happened: The Dragons opened their season on the road in Memorial Gymnasium with a strong win over the Bobcats.
Top players: Seniors led the way for Monte del Sol. Forward Kevin Enriquez had a game-high 18 points, and Xandro Zubia added 17. Eighth grader Ryan Enriquez, Kevin's brother, added 11. The Bobcats were led by Judah Duran's 12 points and Ryan Montoya added 10.
What's next: The Dragons head to Sandia Park to play East Mountain on Tuesday. McCurdy (1-1) heads to Santa Fe to play Academy for Technology and the Classics, which won the Rehoboth Christian Tournament, on Monday.
