Portales junior Jenna Wagner puts up a shot Tuesday night against the Ruidoso Lady Warriors. Portales won the district opener for both teams 59-45.

Portales beat Ruidoso 59-45 Tuesday night at Portales High School in the District 4-3A opener for both teams.

After being held to 25 points through three quarters, Ruidoso scored 20 points in the final quarter.

“We had times tonight when we were hitting on all cylinders,” Portales coach Clay Stout said. “Right now, they are gaining a lot of confidence in playing. I am pleased with how the girls held their composure.”

Macy Mitchell lead Portales (10-8) with 16 points and Tara Johnson added 15, including three 3-pointers.

Haley Williams led Ruidoso (13-7) with 14 points and Jozie Arviso added 10.

“Williams is a tough person to guard, she is so athletic,” Stout said. “There were a couple of times where we lost her and Williams can make you pay when that happens.”

Jenna Wagner got into early foul trouble in the first half during to guarding Williams, forcing Stout to rotated defenders covering Williams.

“We had to switch around once Jenna got into foul trouble,” Stout said. “Our defense is getting better. We always have things to work on.”

Ruidoso was struggling to get their offense going in the first half and remained flat until the final quarter.

“We just never showed up tonight. We weren’t there mentally,” Ruidoso coach Julie Montoya said. “Our defense was not rotating like we were suppose to. Portales came out with intensity and we could not match it. I know we are a much better team than we were tonight.“

Girls
Portales 59, Ruidoso 45

Ruidoso 8 9 8 20 — 45
Portales 19 14 12 14 — 59

Leading scorers — Portales: Macy Mitchell 16, Tara Johnson 15, Gabby Garcia 8, Ruidoso: Haley Williams 14, Jozie Arviso 10, Tonee Montoya 10
3-Pointers — Portales, Johnson 3. Ruidoso, Montoya 2, Kerbi Miller.
Records — Portales 10-8, Ruidoso 13-7
Junior Varsity — Portales 33, Ruidoso 25