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Eagles land in state quarterfinals in boys tournament

steven bortstein, farmington daily times
·2 min read

FARMINGTON − The lone San Juan County boys basketball team remaining in the New Mexico Activities Association's high school tournament will play at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Rio Rancho Events Center when Navajo Prep faces Santa Fe Indian School in the Class 3A quarterfinals.

The Eagles have a record of 25-2 which includes a current 15-game win streak and are seeded second in the Class 3A bracket. The team easily advanced into the second round after a home rout over 15th seeded Cobre last Saturday. The Eagles have been bounced from the second round of each of the last three state tournaments, including a bitter 41-40 loss last year against St. Michael's.

"After that game, I remember my guys all coming back to the gym and wanting to get that taste out of their mouths," said Navajo Prep head coach Matt Melvin. "I saw that intensity there and I've seen that carry over into this season."

Navajo Prep's Xavier Nez (1) puts up a 3-point shot against Cobre in the first quarter of an NMAA state tournament game Saturday, March 4, 2023 at the Eagles Nest.
Navajo Prep's Xavier Nez (1) puts up a 3-point shot against Cobre in the first quarter of an NMAA state tournament game Saturday, March 4, 2023 at the Eagles Nest.

Santa Fe Indian School topped Hot Springs by a final of 44-43 to advance into the quarterfinals. Coached by Jason Abeyta, the Braves have a record of 20-10 this season, good for third place in District 2-3A behind St. Michael's and Robertson High School. Those two schools competed for the Class 3A title last season, with Robertson winning the crown 65-56.

The Braves played for the Class 3A state title in 2019, losing 56-54 to Hot Springs in the championship game. Following that season, the team was eliminated in the first round of the 2020 state tournament. The following season was shut down due to the pandemic. The Braves finished last season with an 11-16 mark but advanced to the Class 3A semifinals where the team lost to Robertson by a final of 71-50.

More:St. Michael's knocks out Navajo Prep in state high school basketball quarterfinals

This is the fifth meeting between Santa Fe Indian School and Navajo Prep, and the first since 2015. The Eagles have lost three of the four prior games against the Braves. Both teams have 4-0 records this season in neutral site games while the Eagles are 10-2 on the road and Santa Fe Indian School has a record of 5-5.

The winner of Wednesday night's clash advances into the Class 3A semifinals on Friday at 1:15 p.m. at the Pit against either third-seeded Robertson or 11th seeded Ruidoso.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Eagles look to advance in NMAA state boys basketball tournament