District battles take center stage in local girls basketball action

Steven Bortstein, Farmington Daily Times
·4 min read

SHIPROCK − The stage is just about set for a rematch of two of the top teams in girls basketball after both Gallup and Kirtland Central rolled to easy road victories Thursday night.

Meantime, Navajo Prep's Lady Eagles continue to run through district competition as the team looks to the postseason, which begins later this month.

Here's a look back at recent hoops action across San Juan County.

KIRTLAND CENTRAL 59, Aztec 33

The Kirtland Central High School girls basketball team remained unbeaten after seven district games this season, completing a season sweep of Aztec on Thursday night, winning on the road 59-33 at Lillywhite Gym.

The Lady Broncos (22-1 overall, 7-0 District 1-4A) beat Aztec last month 52-16 in earlier district action at Bronco Arena and have now won nine consecutive games. Its lone loss this season came at the hands of Class 5A Farmington on Jan. 3.

Kirtland Central's Teghan Begay drives by Aztec's Jazzlyn Gomez on the baseline in the third quarter on Thursday, February 9, 2023 at Lillywhite Gym.
Kirtland Central's Teghan Begay drives by Aztec's Jazzlyn Gomez on the baseline in the third quarter on Thursday, February 9, 2023 at Lillywhite Gym.

Kirtland Central led throughout the contest, getting off to a fast start and putting defensive pressure on the Lady Tigers immediately, leading 16-4 at the end of the first quarter before going into the locker room with a commanding 27-7 advantage.

The top-ranked Lady Broncos have three games remaining in the regular season, beginning Saturday at 7 p.m. on the road at Bloomfield before a rematch with second-ranked Gallup at home on Thursday night. Kirtland Central beat Bloomfield handily 65-40 earlier this season in its first district meeting and have won 24 of the 28 previous encounters.

Aztec falls to 6-17 overall (1-6 District) and face a tall task Saturday night on the road at Gallup. The Lady Bengals have won 11 straight against Aztec dating back to 2018.

GALLUP 68, Shiprock 10

The Gallup High School girls basketball team wasted little time running past Shiprock on Thursday night, outscoring the Lady Chieftains 40-8 in the first half on its way to a 68-10 road win at the Chieftain Pit.

Ranked second in the latest Class 4A polls by both MaxPreps and the New Mexico Coaches poll, the Lady Bengals attacked Shiprock on both sides of the court, getting outside jumpers to fall and finding success inside the lane.

Gallup cruised to a 17-2 lead after the first quarter despite a number of turnovers in the game's opening minutes. The Lady Bengals ability to turn up the pace of the game was too much for the Lady Chieftains as the first half progressed.

Gallup's Adreill Thomas circles around Shiprock's Demesia Young and puts up a shot in the second quarter of a district basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 at the Chieftain Pit.
Gallup's Adreill Thomas circles around Shiprock's Demesia Young and puts up a shot in the second quarter of a district basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 at the Chieftain Pit.

The victory completes a season sweep for the Lady Bengals over Shiprock after an 86-13 romp last month at Gallup High School.

Shiprock falls to 5-18 overall (1-6 District 1-4A) and have lost 10 of the last 11 games. Despite the long list of losses this season, head coach Robert McCaskill has seen the determination of his squad.

"Rebuilding is a process, and it can be hard," McCaskill said. "But these girls want to learn, they want to work together and they're getting it done. And they'll continue to do so."

The Lady Chieftains will be on the road Saturday at 7 p.m. to face Miyamura. The Lady Patriots have won each of the last five games against Shiprock, most recently a 57-23 romp last month at the Chieftain Pit.

Gallup will be home Saturday night to face Aztec before they prepare to visit top-ranked Kirtland Central for a highly anticipated rematch of the district rivalry.

BLOOMFIELD 48, Miyamura 27

The Bloomfield High School girls basketball team remains on track for a berth in next month's state tournament after a resounding 48-27 win at home Thursday night over district rival Miyamura.

The win completes a sweep of the district season for the Lady Bobcats over Miyamura. Last month, Bloomfield went on the road to knock off the Lady Patriots by a score of 54-43.

Bloomfield improves to 14-8 overall (4-3 District) and are currently ranked eighth in the state by MaxPreps at the 4A classification. The Lady Bobcats will be home to face Kirtland Central on Saturday night.

NAVAJO PREP 59, Zuni 41

The Navajo Prep girls basketball team earned its 12th straight win on Wednesday night, keeping the district record unblemished after a 59-41 win at home over Zuni.

The win completes a sweep of the series, with the Lady Eagles handing Zuni a 49-36 loss last month to open the district slate. Navajo Prep (20-3 overall, 9-0 District 1-3A) are seeking to win its third Class 3A title in the last four years and are currently ranked second in the state behind Robertson High School according to MaxPreps.

Navajo Prep went into the locker room with a 33-25 lead over the Lady Thunderbirds at halftime before coming out strong in the second half, limiting Zuni to just 16 points in the final two quarters.

The Lady Eagles are back at it Friday night on the road against Wingate. Navajo Prep has won each of the last 11 games against the Lady Bears dating back to 2017.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Prep girls basketball took center stage across county on Thursday