My 4A District Championship Predictions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 1: Shiprock over Gallup</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gallup is a tough team to beat simply because of their motor. Their play-style is one of my favorites to watch, with their physicality and their speed up and down the court. Nevertheless, Shiprock has done nothing that would turn me against picking them to win. Behind the impressive scoring of Nevaughn Begay, the Chieftains are a team to watch out for in the 4A playoffs, and should be able to clinch their division against the Tigers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 2: Espanola Valley over Los Alamos</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Behind the play of star guard [player_tooltip player_id='1717306' first='Jerek' last='Duda'], the Sundevils have been able to control their district, and they're better than their record would imply. Though Taos is currently ranked number 2 in the district, Los Alamos, with the scoring duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1300383' first='Niko' last='Garcia'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1300482' first='Josiah' last='Fresquez'], is a threat to sneak up on any team, and have held their own against some of the top teams in the state. I believe they'll be able to use their experience moving forward in the playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 3: Santa Teresa over Silver </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Silver is currently ranked ahead of the Desert Warriors, and they have the better record. They've beaten every team in their division, and are the favorites to win the district. However, Santa Teresa behind the play of guard [player_tooltip player_id='1897928' first='Erik' last='Saldana'] are always a threat to win, and with his leadership, have shown a different level of competitiveness in clutch situations. I believe it can easily go either way, but that Santa Teresa will pull off the upset. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 4: Artesia over Lovington</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Artesia is a top-8 team in 4A, and they've done everything they need to do to prove that this season. They're undefeated in district play and I believe it'll stay that way, all the way through to the playoffs. Lovington doesn't lack star-power, with one of the best backcourts in [player_tooltip player_id='1685443' first='Julian' last='Arroyo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1687863' first='Kayle' last='Covington'], and they should have no problems making it to the championship, though Artesia has proven a tough draw for them. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 5: Highland over St Pius X</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highland is currently undefeated in district play, and has earned the number one spot in the overall 4A rankings largely due to the offensive explosion of [player_tooltip player_id='1687821' first='Jesus' last='Licon'], who has garnered national attention for his shooting ability. Though there are other formidable teams in the picture, St Pius X has the most depth, and they've shown that they can hold their own with any team in 4A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 6: Hope Christian over Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is by far the hardest division to predict, as there's three of last year's Final Four teams in it, and they're all having killer seasons. Hope has looked the most put-together to me, and their well-balance attack on both sides of the ball puts them over-the-top for me. Though Academy is coming off a killer title run, they've dropped both matchups to Valley, and the Vikings are on a hot streak as of now, and they remain one of the favorites for the 4A title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->