Staff Report
Chaves County Sports Report
Roswell’s Kristen Neal puts in two of her six first-quarter points, all coming back to back. The senior led all scorers with 12 points.
(CCSR photo by Arnold J. Roe)
Albuquerque Academy gave it their best shot Friday, but couldn’t overcome a dominant Roswell squad, as the Coyotes pounded the Chargers 63-28 to advance to Tuesday’s Albuquerque round of the state tournament.
But while the game ended under the mercy rule, it was much tighter than that early on.
“We weren’t purposely trying to get a running clock,” said Coyote coach Joe Carpenter. “(Academy’s Lisa Logsdon) is an awesome coach. She did a good job in the first half and made us work in the first half.
They just came out flat in the third and we opened it up and I was very pleased with our kids’ effort.”
And while there was scoring from the usual Roswell point leaders, Friday’s game was a total team effort, with nine of the 12 players scoring, and a lot of effort coming from the bench.
After the Coyotes won the tip, Tara Shields put in the first basket. Academy took an early 5-2 lead but Marika Trujillo hit a trey with 5:23 left to tie the game at 5-all. The Chargers went back up by two, then Roswell got into a groove and never looked back.
Desirae Allen tied the game at 7-all but was also fouled and sank the free throw. Kristen Neal made it 10-7 on a great pass from Natalie Mendoza. Academy added another bucket to make it 10-9 and it would never be that close again.
Neal added two more baskets for back-to-back-to-back buckets; Shanice Steenholdt had a block with 1:26 left, then after grabbing her own rebound, got a basket with 1:01 left. Tara Shields put in two free throws with 12 seconds left and the quarter ended 18-11.
Roswell’s Shanice Steenholdt flies in for two of her 11 points.
(CCSR photo by Arnold J. Roe)
Roswell would at least double Academy in each of the next three quarters.
The Coyotes won the second quarter 12-6 to take a 30-17 halftime lead, while the third quarter was the most lopsided.
Roswell went on a 13-0 run before Academy managed its lone basket with 19 seconds left in the quarter. Deja Riddle added two more to end the quarter with a 15-2 run and the Coyotes up 45-19.
The final stanza was an 18-9 victory by the Coyotes with all the scoring being done by the bench.
Arianna Gomez started it off with a basket, then Jeanette Martinez added a pair of free throws. Neal add two more on a pass from Deja Riddle, then Riddle and Diana Carrillo each added a basket. Martinez hit a bucket with 3:26 left then put in another basket and the 1-and-1 at the 3:11 mark.
It’s fitting that senior Neal — who led all scorers with 12 — made the last points for the Coyotes, hitting a bucket with 2:34 left and then making the second of two free throws with six seconds left in the game.
Steenholdt added 11; Allen, 10; Shields, eight; Arianna Gomez, seven, all in the fourth; Trujillo, five; Carrillo and Riddle, four each; and Martinez two.
Neal was one of four seniors who saw their last action in the Coyote Den, and who were happy with their final game.
“It was good for the seniors,” she said. “Everybody worked hard. We worked really hard this whole week. This is what we really wanted. We came out strong and we played our hard game.”
“It’s kind of bittersweet,” added Tara Shields. “It’s like it’s the end, but with every door (that closes), another one opens, so when this doors closes something better is opening. So I just take it this way and try to keep positive and hope we do good (at state).”
Heading into the Coyotes’ eighth straight year at state, Carpenter was excited, but not for himself.
“It’s not all about me,” he said. “It’s about these kids and as long as they’re having fun and they’re out there playing hard, that’s my joy.”
The Coyotes will take their next step toward a state title Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. at The Pit vs. Volcano Vista.
The Hawks beat Capital 59-39 Friday, and the Coyote’s other seniors are confident this will be their year to go all the way.
“As long as we work as a team, I think we’ve got it,” said Martinez.
“I think our chances are pretty good,” Moore agreed. “We just have to go up there and play as a team and just work hard and stick together no matter what.
“I think it’s really good for our seniors to end our last home game like this and I appreciate the younger ones for stepping up for us.”
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