Lady Rattlers advance

Three area high school basketball teams continue their journey toward a state championship in Albuquerque this week.

In the 3A girls bracket the fourth-seeded Tucumcari Lady Rattlers (25-4) played the 5. Clayton Lady YellowJackets (18-9) 3 p.m., on Tuesday in Albuquerque.

The results of this game were not available before publication.

The Lady Rattlers advanced to the quarterfinals with a 71-46 win on Friday against the Rehoboth Christian Lynx at the Snake Pit.

Leading the Lady Rattlers offense were Jasmine Jones (24 points), Kalani French (17 points) and Aliyah Herrera (14 points).

"We need to come out with intensity from the very start," said Jones. "We need to be just as aggressive on rebounds to keep Clayton from getting second chance shots."

Herrera said one of the keys to beating the Lady Yellowjackets is covering their outside shooters. She said the team will have to adjust to prevent Clayton's Barbara Cruz and Keegan Glary from getting open shots.

This will be the fourth time the two teams have played against each other this season. Clayton has won the previous three matches with margins between two and eight points.

"We have had some close games against Clayton, each time we had the opportunities to come away with the win," said Gary Hittson, Lady Rattlers head coach.

Hittson said the team has been working on addressing the issues that hindered them against Clayton in their previous encounters. He said both teams have changed since the last time they have played.

"We can't get down on ourselves, we have to trust one another," French said. "If we play as a team and to our abilities there is no one who can beat us."

Lady Longhorns

continue quest

The 1. Logan Lady Longhorns (20-5) played in the 2A quarterfinals at 3 p.m., on Tuesday against 8. Tatum Lady Coyotes (16-10) at Albuquerque.

The results of this game were not available before publication.

The Lady Longhorns advanced to the quarterfinals by beating No. 16 Navajo Pine 57-32 Friday at Logan.

Longhorns to face Mesilla Valley

The sixth-seeded Logan Longhorns (14-11) will play today at 5 p.m., against the third-seeded Mesilla Valley Christian SonBlazers (22-2) in the quarterfinals of the 2A boys state tournament at Albuquerque.

The Longhorns advanced to the quarterfinals by beating No. 11 Tse' Yi' Gai Warriors 64-50 Saturday at Logan.

The season for the 3A Tucumcari Rattlers ended Saturday with a first round state tournament loss to the Lions at Santa Rosa.

The Rattlers (10-18) lost 53-37 to the fourth-seeded Lions (18-9) in the Round of 16.

"I'm kind of disappointed with how the season ended, but we gave it our best," said Timothy Reid, Rattlers senior forward.

Reid who fouled out in the final period against Santa Rosa, said he wishes he could have been on the court for the entire game.

"I wish I could of helped my team out to the very end," Reid said.

There were some close loses throughout the season that put us in the position we were in at the end of the season, said John Span, Rattlers head coach.

Span said losses to Tularosa and Dexter in overtime and two close loses to District opponent Clayton had an impact on how the team was seeded in the state tournament. He said injuries to two starters mid-season (Saul Ramos, Jose Flores-Duran) put pressure on the younger players to step up. Then as district started starting guard Jaxon Arguello was lost to an injury.

"I am proud of how the guys pulled together this season," Span said. "I'm proud of how they played, they fought and never gave up."

Span said he will lose Flores-Duran, Ramos and Reid next year, and their departures will be felt. He said there is a lot of promise for the Rattlers next season.

"The younger players stepped up when it was needed," Span said. "Their dedication and passion has me excited about things to come."