Jaguars’ title hope ends in semis; Valencia falls to Kirtland Central

ALBUQUERQUE — Valencia built a 12-point lead early in the second half last Thursday in the semifinals of the 4A State Girls Basketball Championship against top seeded and defending champion Kirtland Central, but the Jaguars couldn’t hold on.

The Broncos (28-4) are tournament-tested and one of the premier programs in New Mexico, bouncing back for a 51-38 victory in the Pit. KC would fall to district rival Gallup 51-41 in the state title game

A solid start by VHS (25-8) gave the Jaguars confidence, with senior guard Jadyn Montoya finding her shooting touch, knocking an opening three on her way to a game high 18 points.

“We always try to throw the first punch to start the game off right, so that’s exactly what we did,” Montoya said.

An added bonus for VHS was a hot streak from Savannah Saavedra, who averaged six points per game during the season but had 10 in the first half.

“I was just told to be ready,” Saavedra recalled about what coaches told her before the game. “Once I was knocking them down, I just kept going.”

The score was tied 9-9 after the first quarter, and Kirtland Central was clearly knocked off its game before halftime.

Perhaps the key to the early success for Valencia was mixing in a 3-2 zone, that “flustered” Kirtland Central, according to KC coach Devon Manning.

“We took bad shots,” he said.

It was a zone that Valencia decided to use after watching the Broncos struggle at times against it in the quarterfinals against Hope Christian.

“We haven’t run a 3-2 zone all year,” said VHS coach Raymond Montoya, no relation to Jadyn. “We never practiced it — our girls are very smart, and they figured it out quickly.”

Valencia’s 24-14 halftime lead expanded to a dozen points early in the third quarter, but Manning sensed VHS was showing fatigue.

For the second straight game, the Jaguars used just six players as KC began to force more turnovers, 28 in all.

The Broncos scored nine straight points, cutting the Valencia advantage to 31-29 to start the fourth quarter.

“It was a toss-up heading into the fourth quarter,” Manning noted.

In truth, the momentum had shifted for good in favor of Kirtland Central, with Valencia outscored 22-7 the rest of the way, with the Broncos scoring a misleading 13-point victory.

“We knew this could possibly be our last game,” Jadyn Montoya said in the post-game news conference, chocking up as she continued, “so we knew we had to leave it all out on the floor.”

Coach Montoya praised Kirtland Central’s toughness.

“They just battle back, claw their way back. They’re great shooters. All their kids are levelheaded.”

The Jaguars lose only two seniors, Montoya and Izabel Zamora, with three starters returning in Francesca Otero and sisters Eden and Jaiden Montgomery, who chipped in eight points each in the semifinal.

“I’m so proud of this group,” said coach Montoya, who guided Valencia into the state playoffs each of his two years leading the program. “We’re really confident looking forward.”

Valencia reached the semifinals by way of a 56-45 victory over Albuquerque Academy.