Post season reachable for Lady Tigers, Eagles & Jags

Veteran talent, new faces and injuries make up much of the picture as the girls basketball season gets underway for Belen, Los Lunas and Valencia.

Los Lunas Tigers

There seemed to be a little bit of a haze hanging over the first official practice last week for the Los Lunas girls basketball team. It had only been a few days since the Tigers suffered their latest blow — a knee injury to Vayda Golino, which could keep the senior point guard sidelined for the season.

“That’s obviously a big downer. The whole team is bummed right now,” shared Manny Vigil, LLHS head coach.

It’s not only the injury to Golino, who led the Tigers in assists and steals, that is a bummer. Jacelyn Baca, forward, had knee surgery in October and will miss the season.

“That’s why people get sad because they’re seniors and they put so much work in,” Vigil said.

The cupboard is far from bare for LLHS, annually one of the top teams in 5A. Sophomore post Kaya Finley is a force in the paint, leading the Tigers in points and rebounds. Mackenzie Brookins and Sienna Flores return after being sidelined over the summer.

Plus, Vigil has tremendous trust in guard Grace Baca, the lone senior.

“She’s a great leader,” he said.

Baca takes pride in her leadership role.

“That’s my goal, to be there and help them adapt,” Baca said about teaching the young group to “play the way Los Lunas girls basketball” is meant to be played. “Hard work and hustle, out-working people,” is the Tiger way.

“Now we’re going to be leaning on some young kids to fast forward and grow faster than we anticipated,” according to Vigil, including sophomore Jalexa Ornelas. “She’s really improved.”

However, can Los Lunas, coming off a 23-7 season and a trip to the state tournament, continue its strategy of full court pressure and fast-paced offense.

“We’re really going to have to try to figure out how to do it. Maybe we can only do it in spots,” said Vigil.

Los Lunas started the season Tuesday with an impressive 68-45 victory at home over Centennial.

Belen Eagles

When Belen coach Sam Gavaldon looked out across the floor as the players warmed up on the first official day of practice, he couldn’t help but smile.

Not only did more than 30 girls try out, the most in recent years, but Gavaldon was familiar with each of them.

“They are girls that I’ve seen since sixth, seventh grade,” said Gavaldon. “They’ve heard my voice and it’s the only voice they’ve heard,” since they’ve been at BHS, creating “trust.”

Danilynn Bob has earned that trust as a member of the varsity since eighth grade.

“I’m really excited for this year. With this group of girls I think we can go far,” Bob believes, adding that this years’ team is more cohesive.

Bob is described as a “sharpshooter,” by Gavaldon, who calls Abbie Wells a “hard worker,” and Lydia Hull a “real grinder.” Adding to the mix is Itzel Caraveo, a junior who has been playing club ball until now.

In addition, Gavaldon says returning senior Alyssa Trujillo could surprise people.

“She’s gone to camps, she’s put in the work,” the coach said. “She’s really the one who is pushing everybody.”

Both Gavaldon and Bob share a similar belief.

“I think we’ll be good at pushing the ball, running up and down the court,” Bob says, while Gavaldon adds, “We’re a very fast team and we’re going to utilize that the best we can–we’re going to compete every game.”

The Eagles, 8-19 last season, tip off Dec. 2 at Valley.

Valencia Jaguars

It won’t be easy for Valencia to replicate the magic of last season, a 25-8 record and a trip to the 4A semifinals, especially with the graduation of first-team All-State guard Jadyn Montoya. However, you won’t see any tears from Raymond Montoya, VHS head coach.

“We have a really exciting team,” Montoya said bluntly. “We should have a lot of size, a lot of speed, a lot of length so we should continue to improve from last year.”

There are familiar faces, such as guard Francesca Otero, and versatile sisters Jaiden and Eden Montgomery.

While you can’t replace someone with the ability of Montoya, Otero believes an infusion of fresh talent puts VHS in the elite category again.

“It’s so nice to see a bunch of new players,” Otero said as the first practice approached. “You can expect us to play fast this year, play hard, give everything we got.”

Naima Corrales, who played on the junior varsity last season after moving into the district from Mexico, is now eligible for the varsity.

“She’ll be a huge help to us,” said Montoya. “She’s a really good ball handler and scorer.”

Montoya calls Dayloni Estrada, “One of the best freshmen in the entire state. She can light it up anytime.”

There may be a partial new cast of characters, but Montoya says the goal is the same.

“Our expectation is to chase a ring.” Otero adds, “We’ll be ready.”

Valencia was dominated at home Tuesday 74-35 by perennial power Gallup. Jaiden Montgomery led the Jaguars with eleven points. Otero did not play because of injury but is expected back soon.