FARMINGTON − Navajo Prep's boys and girls basketball teams came out on top over the weekend, earning championships in their respective district tournaments on Saturday at Shiprock High School.

Meantime, Gallup ran past Kirtland Central in the District 1-4A girls tournament championship game, while La Cueva's girls narrowly escaped Farmington in the 2-5A tournament championship.

Here's a recap of a busy weekend in postseason tournament basketball.

Girls basketball

GALLUP 54, Kirtland Central 46

The Gallup High School girls basketball team picked up a little momentum heading into the Class 4A state tournament after beating Kirtland Central 54-46 Saturday night in the District 1-4A tournament championship game in front of a sold out crowd at Bronco Arena.

The Lady Bengals led essentially from start to finish, taking advantage of early Kirtland Central mistakes and missed shots. Gallup led 13-8 at the end of the first quarter and had opened up a double-digit lead late in the second half before going into the locker room with a 27-21 advantage.

The Lady Broncos had several opportunities to close the gap, but Gallup had an answer almost every time Kirtland Central posed a threat.

In the third quarter, Gallup extended the lead to 15 points before Kirtland Central clawed its way back into the match. With less than four minutes to play in the game, the Lady Broncos had drawn within four points of the lead.

On three consecutive possessions for Gallup, however, the Lady Bengals grabbed a rebound off a missed free throw and turned it into a basket, followed by two successful shots from the field, extending the lead to nine and sealing the win.

Gallup's win on Saturday shouldn't have much of an effect on the seedings for the state tournament when they are announced on Sunday night. District regular season champions typically hold more weight over tournament champions in the seeding process. Kirtland Central (26-3) and Gallup (24-5) came into the district tournament as the top two ranked Class 4A teams in the state and may well meet again in the state championship.

The result of the game means Kirtland Central and Gallup have evenly split their four games against each other this season, with Gallup winning both times at Kirtland Central.

LA CUEVA 36, Farmington 35

The La Cueva High School girls basketball team put on a 3-point shooting clinic in the fourth quarter of Saturday night's District 2-5A championship game, converting on four of those shots to pull off a narrow 36-35 win over Farmington in front of a packed house at Scorpion Arena.

Junior Toni Lucero scored all six of her points on the night with a pair of successful 3-point attempts in the final eight minutes of the game. Senior Alexis Ayers, who led the Lady Bears with 11 points, also hit from long range while sophomore Kiauna Romero scored her only points of the night with a crucial shot from beyond the arc.

Farmington, held to their lowest point total in 27 games this season, were stifled on offense. The La Cueva defense pulled down multiple rebounds and limited the Lady Scorpions ability to move quickly up and down the floor.

"They played great man defense tonight," said Farmington head coach Tom Adair on La Cueva's win. "We both played great defense but we just didn't make the shots we usually do."

Only four Lady Scorpion players found their way into the scorebook, with Kapiolani Anitielu leading the team with 14 points. Older sister Kamalani Anitielu added 12 points, while freshman Kjani Anitielu scored six points.

Farmington opened the game strong, getting as much as a 10-point advantage on La Cueva early in the second quarter. Leading 20-10 in the final minutes of the first half, the Lady Bears went on an 8-0 run before the buzzer and went to the locker room trailing 20-18.

Midway through the third quarter, Farmington opened up on the lead, drawing out to an eight-point lead before La Cueva fought back to get within two points early in the fourth quarter. Both teams had trouble scoring points early in the quarter and both sides also were getting into foul trouble underneath.

"We just need to get better at finishing out close games like we have all year," Adair said.

The first of Lucero's 3-point shots tied the game at 33 with under just three minutes left in the game. After a pair of free throws gave the Lady Scorpions a 2-point lead, Lucero nailed another 3-point shot with just a bit more than a minute to go to provide the final margin.

Despite the loss, Farmington still holds the title of district champions. La Cueva (21-7), currently ranked fourth in the state in Class 5A by MaxPreps, has won three in a row and carry some positive momentum into the state tournament.

Saturday's win for the Lady Bears was the team's first over Farmington in three games this season. Farmington won both of its earlier meetings with La Cueva by double digits during the district campaign. Ranked second in the state in Class 5A by MaxPreps, the Lady Scorpions will still earn a high seed in the state tournament when the NMAA releases brackets on Sunday night.

NAVAJO PREP 35, Tohatchi 32

Navajo Prep's girls basketball team survived a late rally to clinch the District 1-3A tournament championship with a 35-32 win Saturday afternoon over Tohatchi in front of a packed house at The Chieftain Pit at Shiprock High School.

Leading by nine points early in the fourth quarter, Navajo Prep watched that lead dwindle in the game's closing minutes before Navajo Prep secured the win with successful free throw attempts by the team's leading scorer Aniya Johnson, as well as Tru Billie with under two minutes to play.

The Lady Eagles trailed 18-12 at the break after Tohatchi outscored Navajo Prep 13-5 in the second quarter. The Lady Eagles appeared to be out of sorts offensively in the early part of the game, missing several open shots and turning the ball over on multiple occasions.

Head coach Rainy Crisp acknowledged the team's struggles in the first half as having more to do with not having played a game since wrapping up the regular season seven days earlier.

"I think the time off had a lot to do with it," Crisp said. "But give Tohatchi a lot of credit, they had a good game plan and came out swinging right away."

The Lady Eagles erased that halftime deficit in the third quarter, tying the game at 26 apiece entering the final frame.

"It was nerve wracking for sure," Crisp said after the game. "It's tough to beat the teams up and down in this district, and we had to work for it."

Johnson led all scorers with 15 points. Tohatchi was led by Brooke Badonie, who scored all of her 11 points in the first half.

Navajo Prep also got nine points from Billie, who also handed out a half-dozen assists in the winning effort.

"(Billie) is such a competitor, and she's so tough," Crisp said. "I'm on all her all the time and she's tough enough to take it, and I'm really proud of how she stepped up."

Navajo Prep (24-3) has now won 16 in a row and will be one of the top seeds in the NMAA Class 3A state tournament, which gets underway later this week. The Lady Eagles entered the district tournament ranked second in the state at Class 3A behind only defending champion Robertson.

Boys basketball

NAVAJO PREP 45, Crownpoint 37

The Navajo Prep boys basketball team got out to a quick start on Saturday against Crownpoint, then did enough in the second half to win by a final of 45-37, earning the championship in the District 1-3A tournament in front of a sold out crowd at the Chieftain Pit at Shiprock High School.

Xavier Nez and Jude Thomas hit multiple 3-point shots in the first quarter as Navajo Prep jumped out to a 22-7 lead in the opening frame. Crownpoint fought back in the second quarter and went into the locker room trailing 26-23.

The teams were tied at 30 going into the fourth quarter as Navajo Prep only managed to score eight points in the second and third quarters combined. Navajo Prep found their rhythm in the final frame, outscoring Crownpoint 15-7 to seal the deal in their 14th consecutive victory.

"When you play the same team three times in a month and a half, you take wins however you get them," said Navajo Prep head coach Matt Melvin.

Currently ranked third in the state's 3A classification by MaxPreps, Navajo Prep (24-2) has assured itself a home game in the first round of the NMAA state tournament when seedings are announced on Sunday night.

"Now the fun begins," Melvin said. "Can we take a good season and turn it into a great one? I can't wait to see."

GALLUP 68, Bloomfield 63

The Gallup High School boys basketball team captured the District 1-4A tournament championship Friday night with a 68-63 win at home over Bloomfield.

The Bengals were already guaranteed a spot in the NMAA state basketball tournament after winning the regular season district title. Friday night's victory extends the team's winning streak to eight games in a row heading into the state Class 4A tournament.

The Bengals led the game at the half by a score of 42-36 after outscoring Bloomfield 23-17 in the second quarter. Gallup extended that margin to nine points at the end of three quarters before holding off a belated Bobcats rally in the final eight minutes.

Gallup enters the state tournament with a record of 21-7 and are currently ranked eighth in the state according to MaxPreps. Bloomfield will await word from the NMAA as to their status in the state tournament. The Bobcats have a record of 15-14 overall and are currently ranked 20th in the state at Class 4A.

The top 16 teams in each classification are invited to the state tournament. Kirtland Central is ranked 13th in Class 4A, but lost to Bloomfield at home last week in the district tournament's semifinals.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Basketball season turns to state championship tournament this week