NM State Tournament Semifinals: Top Performers

<p style="text-align: center;">The New Mexico high school basketball state tournament started this past Saturday March 5th. With so much excitement throughout the state, there was several great performances that were displayed on the biggest stage of the season during the second round in the state Quarterfinals.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1076677" first="Jose" last="Murillo"]- 6’9 Center "Highland" Class of 2022</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">Highland big man [player_tooltip player_id="1076677" first="Jose" last="Murillo"] led Highland to the 4A State Championship game this past Friday March 11th. During the 4A Semifinals vs St.Pius, he recorded a double-double scoring 27 points and grabbing 23 rebounds. He shot 9/15 from the field and 9/12 from the free throw line. Highland will face #11 Del Norte in the 4A State Championship. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tanner Davis- 6’4 Forward "St.Pius" Class of 2022</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">Despite the loss to #1 Highland in the 4A semifinals, Tanner Davis gave it his all during this playoff game. He scored 16 points on 5/13 shooting and led his team in scoring. He shot 4/4 from the free throw line and grabbed 6 rebounds. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1076675" first="Jakwon" last="Hill"]- 6’0 Shooting Guard "Volcano Vista" Class of 2022</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1076675" first="Jakwon" last="Hill"] led the #1 Volcano Vista Hawks past the 5A semifinals this past Friday March 11th. He scored a team high 18 points on 8/17 shooting from the field, shot 2/5 from three point range, grabbed 4 rebounds and had 4 steals. Volcano Vista will face #1 Las Cruces in the 5A State Championship Saturday March 11th. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1128605" first="Kaden" last="Valdez"]- 5’11 Shooting Guard "Volcano Vista" Class of 2022</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1128605" first="Kaden" last="Valdez"] was in the zone from the start in the 5A semifinals vs #3 La Cueva. He was Volcano’s second leading scorer with 14 points, shot 5/9 from the field, and shot 4/8 from three point range.  He was also a key on the defensive end of the floor with 6 steals and dished 4 assists. Volcano Vista will face #1 Las Cruces in the 5A State Championship Saturday March 11th.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1076701" first="Judah" last="Casaus"]- 6’1 Shooting Guard "Del Norte" Class of 2023</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1076701" first="Judah" last="Casaus"] was the best player on the court during the 4A semifinals match-up vs #7 Belen. He scored a game high 22 points on 8/17 shooting from the field and shot 2/3 from three point range which included a last second shot at the buzzer to end the 3rd quarter. He also grabbed 6 rebounds and had 5 steals in the game which led to his offense in transition. Del Norte defeated #7 Belen 49-44 in overtime. Del Norte will face #1 Highland in the 4A State Championship Saturday March 12th. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Daniel Corrales- 6’6 Forward "Belen" Class of 2022</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">Despite the loss to #11 Del Norte in the 4A Semifinals, Daniel Corrales played his heart out in the playoff loss. He dominated inside the paint and scored 18 points on 8/12 shooting from the field. He also contributed with 9 rebounds and shot 5/7 from the field. Belen lost to #11 Del Norte in overtime 49-44. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="1076667" first="Isaiah" last="Carr"]- 6’11 Center "Las Cruces" Class of 2022</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1076667" first="Isaiah" last="Carr"] was the best player on the floor during the 5A semifinals match-up vs #5 Atrisco Heritage. Isaiah had a monster double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds. He led the game in scoring and shot 9/11 from the field while leading #1 Las Cruces to a 50-45 win vs #5 Atrisco Heritage. Las Cruces will face #2 Volcano Vista in the 5A State Championship Saturday March 12th. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">William Benjamin Jr.- 6'1 Shooting Guard "Las Cruces" Class of 2022</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">William Benjamin had an all around game while leading #1 Las Cruces in the 5A semifinals. He scored 13 points on 5/11 shooting from the field, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 6 assists. He played all 32 minutes of the playoff game and helped Las Cruces defeat #5 Atrisco Heritage 50-45. Las Cruces will face #2 Volcano Vista in the 5A State Championship Saturday March 12th. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>