Hawks! Hawks! The Lady Hawks of Laguna-Acoma made it to the quarterfinals in Nusenda girls 2A state basketball tournament and were defeated by Tatum 58-38 at the Rio Rancho Events Center last week in that quarterfinal game.
The Hawks kept the game manageable within 10 points through the third quarter then Tatum made a big run late in the third and never looked back.
“Our younger players struggled late in the game and we hoped they would push over the hump for us,” said Lady Hawk head coach Nicole Pedro. Unfortunately, Tatum kept outsourcing them every quarter. “It was rough… and it breaks your heart.”
Pedro went in with a philosophy of going in to “play our game” and we knew they played man defense and prepared her team for that. At halftime, down 26-19, Pedro wanted to come out and plug the middle and run her offenses.
However, Tatum had other plans and outscored them by seven points in the third and six points in the fourth. In the end, ”It’s just basketball,” said Pedro.
Jazmyne Carillo, a senior on the team said, “In the first half we had it our heads that they were beatable and we could do it.”
After the halftime Carillo said, “I don’t know where it went wrong”.
Pedro acknowledged this group “was special” and is eager to keep working with the upcoming players to have another strong season.
The Hawks have a strong tradition of making the state tournament, this was their 2nd trip to the quarterfinals in 2 consecutive years and Pedro is working hard to develop her younger group of mostly sophomores to build and make a “new team” for next year and hopefully another run.
The Lady Hawks will lose six seniors Rayann Concho, Gianna Carillo, Leah Barger, Kaylee Lorenzo, Sofia Lazos, Jazmyn Carrillo and manager Amaya Joe