Championship Saturday: 2A-3A-4A Title Game Recaps and Video

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Championship Saturday – Class 2A + 3A + 4A (The Pit In Albuquerque, NM)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 2A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Texico 66, Mesa Vista 65&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Standout Players</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2833696' first='Jett' last='Curtis']</strong> led Texico with 22 points, connecting on 12-of-13 free throws. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2818681' first='Alex' last='Fuentes']</strong>, the state's leading rusher in the fall, scored 18 points. Texico lost starter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2818730' first='Steen' last='North']</strong> in the first quarter with a foot injury but they persevered. Mesa Vista had four scorers in double figures led <strong>by [player_tooltip player_id='2827164' first='Santiago' last='Martinez']</strong> with 23 points, making 10-of-12 FT. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1533973' first='Jordan' last='Gallegos']</strong> had 13 points and 9 rebounds. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2833706' first='Ezequiel' last='Nevarez']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2818728' first='Salvador' last='Saavedra']</strong> each scored 10 points. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Stats</strong>: Both teams shot the ball well. Mesa Vista made 53.5 percent of its shots (23-43) while Texico connected on 46.3 percent of its shots.&nbsp; The difference in the game? Free throws. Mesa Vista attempted more free throws than Texico (24-23) but the Trojans missed 9 while the Wolverines missed just 3, making 20-of-23, including 11-of-11 in the first half. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How It Happened</strong>: Despite the 8 a.m. start, the game was played at a furios pace from the opening tip. Texico led, 15-14, when an 8-0 Texico run gave the Wolverines a 23-14 lead. Mesa Vista, though, scored the final four points and trailed, 23-17 after eight minutes. In the second quarter, Texico built a 34-23 lead midway through the frame before Mesa Vista closed out the quarter on a 9-4 run. The stretch was jumpstarted by a basket by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1533973' first='Jordan' last='Gallegos']</strong> and a 3-pointer by [player_tooltip player_id='2827164' first='Santiago' last='Martinez'] for a 5-0 Mesa Vista run. Texico restored its 11-point advantage with a 5-0 run at the outset of the third quarter. The lead grew to 13 (49-36) on a Wolverines 3-pointer midway through the 3^rd quarter. The quarter ended with Texico holding a 15-point advantage at 53-38 when [player_tooltip player_id='2833696' first='Jett' last='Curtis'] hit two free throws with 0.9 seconds left. Texico maintained the 15-point lead in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter (60-45). The final several minutes, though, were filled with plenty of drama as Mesa Vista &nbsp;refused to go away. The Trojans cut the lead to single digits at 60-52 with a 7-0 run. Soon, the deficit was down to 3 at 62-59 on 3 free throws. Later, a Texico turnover gave the ball back to Mesa Vista and they converted a layup to make it 62-61 with 1:14 left.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a timeout, Texico scored on a clutch offensive putback by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2827188' first='Bennett' last='Wahlen'] </strong>to make it 64-61. Mesa Vista called timeout and had the ball with an opportunity to tie the game. Martinez was fouled on a 3-point attempt and went to the line for 3 shots with 37.5 seconds left. He missed the first but made the final two. 64-63. Fuentes was fouled and hit 2 clutch FT with19.8 seconds left. 66-63. Texico got a stop on the other end and was fouled. But they missed both FT, giving Mesa Visa an opportunity to tie the game. With the crowd on its feet, Mesa Vista drove to the corner about 10 feet from the basket and, somewhat inexplicably, attempted a short baseline jumper in the final seconds. The shot was good. But time ran out and the Trojans' valiant comeback effort fell short by one point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to the Boys Class 2A State Champions from Texico, winners of the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Basketball Championships! <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/PgBF7zFhxc">pic.twitter.com/PgBF7zFhxc</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1900934979057840555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/Nz2QAI2iLmo?si=UalL1g0TMHrVm9RV","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/Nz2QAI2iLmo?si=UalL1g0TMHrVm9RV </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Texico v Mesa Vista Box Score <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/tVJTieIqPc">pic.twitter.com/tVJTieIqPc</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1900933018770194873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/InUJEaa5Brg?si=gWJ7gTm7w3ox26ir","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/InUJEaa5Brg?si=gWJ7gTm7w3ox26ir </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 3A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Robertson 58, St. Michael's 46</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Standout Players</strong>: As a senior, Robertson guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2818687' first='Jesse' last='James Gonzales']</strong> was playing the final basketball game of his distinguished career. He scored 24 points (8-16 FG, 6-8 FT) and handed out 6 assists to spark the Cardinals past the rival Horsemen. Freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2714561' first='George' last='Smith']</strong> scored 13 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and handed out 4 assists. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2818720' first='Brian' last='Lucero']</strong> scored 10 points<strong>. [player_tooltip player_id='2706580' first='Ryan' last='Hunt']</strong> led St. Michael's with 12 points. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Stats</strong>: Robertson started quickly and then held off St. Michael's the rest of the way, practically leading wire-to-wire. St. Michael's led for 14 seconds. Robertson made 4 3-pointers in the first quarter to grab a double digit lead. In fact, 9 of their 11 first quarter shots came from behind the arc. Robertson attempted 18 3-pointers in the 1^st half. They were 4-of-9 in the first quarter but just 1-of-9 in the 2^nd quarter. Robertson committed only 7 turnovers and 12 fouls, so they took care of the basketball on offense and avoided foul trouble on defense. Only one Robertson player had more than 2 fouls. When St. Michael's got to the FT line, they failed to convert, missing 7-of-10 FTs. Robertson got the better of St. Michael's in transition, scoring 15 fast break points. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How it Happened</strong>: This was the fourth matchup between this teams this season and the familiarity showed throughout the contest. The first few minutes were marked by tough, physical defense. Four consecutive Robertson 3-pointers (two by freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2714561' first='George' last='Smith'] </strong>+ 2 by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2818687' first='Jesse' last='James Gonzales']</strong>) gave the Cardinals a 12-2 lead at the end of the 1^st quarter. Robertson led by 12 points (21-9) at the 5-1/2 mark of the second quarter before the Horsemen began to fight back led by [player_tooltip player_id='2394870' first='Kamal' last='Stith']. A 10-2 Horsemen run capped by Stith's layup with 1:20 left sliced the deficit to 23-19 before Robertson settled for a 5-point halftime lead at 27-22.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Michael's got as close as three points in the first 6 minutes of the third quarter but multiple baskets by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2818687' first='Jesse' last='James Gonzales']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2714561' first='George' last='Smith']</strong> prevented the Horsemen from getting any closer. Roberton built the lead to 39-33 by the end of the third quarter. Robertson's lead grew to double digits early in the fourth quarter at 44-33 when timeout was called with 5:44 left. A 3-pointer keyed the spurt. Robertson continued to control play with a 3-pointer by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2818720' first='Brian' last='Lucero']</strong> and a transition layup by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2714561' first='George' last='Smith']</strong> to take command at 49-33 when timeout was called with 3:39 left. St. Michael's scored 4 points on one trip down the floor (FT + OR + Layup + FT) but the Horsemen got no closer than 10 points the rest of the way as [player_tooltip player_id='2818687' first='Jesse' last='James Gonzales'] did most of the damage in the closing minutes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to the Boys Class 3A State Champions from Robertson, winners of the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Basketball Championships! <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/wjlAIPVTXU">pic.twitter.com/wjlAIPVTXU</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1901004894821400624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Robertson head coach Adam Bustos talks about their championship win at the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Basketball Championships. <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/HwCJMtsJVl">pic.twitter.com/HwCJMtsJVl</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1900994237728252191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">St. Michael&#039;s v Robertson Box Score <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/viXrSWGPN7">pic.twitter.com/viXrSWGPN7</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1900990903491457248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/1xghs8Zctm8?si=GwrxOCY5ecvgB6RH","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/1xghs8Zctm8?si=GwrxOCY5ecvgB6RH </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 4A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Artesia 55, Highland 48</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Standout Players:</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1846065' first='Charlie' last='Campbell']</strong> led a balanced Artesia scoring attack (that's the way they've been all season) with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2684221' first='Trent' last='Egeland']</strong> scored 12 points and grabbed 7 rebounds<strong>. [player_tooltip player_id='2827160' first='Cael' last='Houghtaling']</strong> added 11 points and 7 rebounds. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687821' first='Jesus' last='Licon']</strong> led Highland with 18 points, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2693635' first='Juan' last='Limas']</strong> had 12 and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2681022' first='DJ' last='Spruell']</strong> 11. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Stats:</strong> &nbsp;Two statistics stand out from this one. First, Highland, normally one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the state, struggled from behind the arc, connecting on just 6-of-25 3-point attempts. Second, Artesa's advantage from the free throw line was significant. Twenty-five Highland fouls led to 27 Artesia free throw attempts. The Bulldogs made 17, seven more than the number of Highland's FT attempts (10). The fee throw discrepancy negated the fact Highland committed only 8 turnovers. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How It Happened: </strong>Highland's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687821' first='Jesus' last='Licon']</strong> made his presence felt early with a 3-pointer right off the opening tip. Highland jumped out to an 8-3 lead before Artesia spurted with 5 straight points to close out the quarter on a basket by [player_tooltip player_id='2827160' first='Cael' last='Houghtaling'] and a steal and uncontested layup by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1846065' first='Charlie' last='Campbell']</strong>. Both teams struggled from the field, combining to make just 6-of-20 shots (30.0 pct.). Artesia took its first lead at 11-8 early in the second quarter with three free throws. When Artesia called timeout with 5:23 left before halftime, neither team had made a field goal in the quarter. Artesia broke the field goal-less stretch with a basket with just over 5 minutes left in 2Q. Highland snapped a lengthy cold stretch with a triple to cut the deficit to 15-11. Artesia threw the ball into the low post and got a basket for a 17-11 lead with 3:10 left, forcing Highland to call a timeout. Artesia continued to surge with three more baskets for a 23-11 lead with 1:20 left, 2Q as Highland's offensive woes continued. The Hornets finally scored on a putback – and halted Artesia's 8- run - to make it 23-13. Artesia settled for a 23-15 halftime lead. Both teams shot under 35 percent in the first half. Highland, which relies extensively on the 3, was just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc after [player_tooltip player_id='1687821' first='Jesus' last='Licon']'s initial 3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Artesia scored 8 quick points in the first two minutes of the third quarter for a 31-19 lead. Licon's second 3 of the night made it 31-22. His third cut Artesia's lead to 36-30 with 1:40 left in the 3^rd quarter. Artesia led by 9 (41-32) after three quarters when <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1846065' first='Charlie' last='Campbell']</strong> dribbled away 20+ seconds, made a move to the basket, rose up and hit the jumper at the 3Q buzzer.  Artesia pushed it lead into double digits (45-34) with 4 quick points early in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs led by 10 points (46-36) at the 5:00 mark of the fourth. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2827160' first='Cael' last='Houghtaling']</strong>'s baseline jumper gave Artesia a 12-point lead at 48-36, forcing Highland to call a timeout with 4:05 left. After Highland scored to get to within 8 points at 48-40, Artesia rebounded a missed shot and scored in transition for a 50-40 lead. A quick Highland triple narrowed the gap to 50-43 with 1:35 left. Licon's layup after an Artesia turnover made it 50-45. [player_tooltip player_id='1717327' first='Braylon' last='Vega'] knocked down 2 free throws with 54.9 seconds left to make it a 3-possession game at 52-45.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to the Boys Class 4A State Champions from Artesia, winners of the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Basketball Championships! <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/f4tmfH3HRT">pic.twitter.com/f4tmfH3HRT</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1901057010172350895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Artesia head coach Michael Mondragon talks about their championship win at the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Basketball Championships. <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/yEpxdKDKui">pic.twitter.com/yEpxdKDKui</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1901058266664431864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Highland v Artesia Box Score <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/xvPy3BAjpy">pic.twitter.com/xvPy3BAjpy</a></p>&mdash; NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1901055389103518153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/-KLA-KzQNwE?si=fK-s7TFVWjS1ZGCD","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/-KLA-KzQNwE?si=fK-s7TFVWjS1ZGCD </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->