AZTEC – Thursday’s opening round action of the Lady Tiger Rumble in the Jungle Invitational wrapped up at Lillywhite Gym with a quartet of teams advancing to the winners bracket with hopes of playing later this weekend for a tournament title.
Here’s a wrap of all the opening round competition.
The host team, led by senior Bailey Clarance, opened the first round of the Rumble in the Jungle Invitational at the Lillywhite Gym to a 71-8 victory over the Northwest Falcons.
Clarance finished with a game-high 18 points for Aztec’s girls basketball team, followed by Camden Mariano with 14 points and Khloe Schmidt, who added 10.
The Tigers jumped out to a 14-5 lead by the end of the first quarter and dominated the second, outscoring the Falcons 29-4. By halftime, the Tigers were in control, leading 43-8, and held Northwest scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Northwest (0-3) drops into the consolation bracket and will compete on Friday at 4:30 p.m. against Ignacio.
Meanwhile, the Tigers improve to 5-3 overall and will advance to the second round of the winners bracket, where they will play Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Belen.
The Grants High girls basketball team, powered by a strong offensive effort from senior Aubryanna Garcia, defeated Montezuma-Cortez by a final of 59-35.
Garcia scored a game-high 20 points, with teammates Amy Salazar and Promise Garcia each contributing 10.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter, missing jump shots and layups. Grants led 12-7 at the end of the period.
The Pirates found their rhythm in the second quarter, driving successfully to the basket and capitalizing on free throws, hitting nine of 11 attempts.
Aubryanna Garcia added nine points across the second and third quarters, while the Panthers struggled to keep up with Grants’ fast breaks and steals.
By halftime, the Pirates led 37-12 and faced little in the way of challenges as the teams returned for the second half. Grants continued to dominate in the third quarter, holding Montezuma-Cortez to just five points. The score stood at 53-17 heading into the final period.
The Panthers, led by senior Taylor Whited, showed signs of life in the fourth quarter, outscoring Grants 18-6. Whited drained two three-pointers, but the Pirates remained well ahead on their way to victory.
Montezuma-Cortez (2-3) moves to the consolation bracket and will play Wingate at 9:00 a.m. Friday.
Grants (4-4) advances to the second round of the winners' bracket, where they will face Durango at noon Friday.
The Belen Eagles soared to a 35-22 victory over the Ignacio Bobcats in their first-round matchup.
The game started slowly, with both teams locked in a defensive battle. Belen held a slim 9-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second period, the Eagles gained momentum with a 12-point run, fueled by Judarose Wright, who scored five points during the stretch, including a three-pointer and a quick bucket. Wright finished with a game-high 11 points, nine of which came in the first half, as Belen took a 21-12 lead into the break.
The pace slowed again to start the second half, with both teams struggling to convert offensive opportunities. Belen broke out with an 8-3 run in the latter half of the third quarter.
They maintained their lead, narrowly outscoring Ignacio 8-7 in the final period to seal the 35-22 win.
Ignacio drops to a 1-2 overall record and moves to the consolation bracket, where they will face Northwest on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Belen advances to the second round of the winners bracket and will play Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Aztec.
The Durango High girls basketball team, led by a dominant performance from junior Claire Goodwin, advanced to the second round of the winners bracket with a 51-29 victory over the Wingate Bears.
Goodwin scored a season-high 29 points, while senior Mariah Maestas added 12 points, nine of which came from free throws.
The first quarter was closely contested, with the score tied at 5-5 for the first five minutes. Durango then gained the upper hand with strong offensive and defensive rebounds, taking a 10-5 lead by the end of the period.
In the second quarter, Durango’s high-pressure man-to-man defense created several turnovers for Wingate, including double dribbles and carrying violations.
The Demons capitalized on these mistakes, extending their lead to 25-15 at halftime. Durango’s defense remained strong in the third quarter, with five steals, three of them by Goodwin.
Wingate struggled to penetrate Durango’s defense, leading to two turnovers with three minutes remaining in the period.
The fourth quarter saw both teams battling for steals, with Durango grabbing four steals in the final frame, one more than the Bears. Durango also won the rebounding battle in the final eight minutes, securing four rebounds to Wingate’s three, which helped them outscore the Bears 12-7 in the final frame.
The Demons secured the 51-29 win to advance.
Wingate (5-4) will move to the consolation bracket Friday at 9:00 a.m. to face Montezuma-Cortez. Durango (4-2) improves to the next round of the winners bracket on Friday at 12:00 p.m. against Grants.
Rumble in the Jungle Girls opening round scores
Aztec 71, Shiprock Northwest 8
Grants 59, Cortez 35
Belen 35, Ignacio 22
Durango 51, Wingate 29
