Jaguars’ title hopes end in semis; Valencia falls to Kirtland Central

ALBUQUERQUE — Valencia built a 12-point lead early in the second half 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 (28-3) are tournament-tested, and one of the premier programs in New Mexico, bouncing back for a 51-38 victory in the Pit and a meeting Friday with Gallup for the title.

A solid start by VHS (25-8) gave the Jaguars confidence, with Jadyn Montoya finding her shooting touch and Savannah Saavedra scoring 10 points, nearly doubling her average.

“I was just told to be ready,” Saavedra said. “Once I was knocking them down, I just kept going.”

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

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.”

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

The momentum had shifted for good, with Valencia outscored 22-7 the rest of the way.

VHS coach Raymond Montoya, no relation to Jadyn, praised Kirtland Central.

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

Montoya ended her VHS career by scoring 18 points. Jaiden Montgomery chipped in eight points.