Springer Sweeps District Championships

By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media

It was a Questa Springer matchup, both boys and girls, for the District 1A championship held in Springer Saturday night that was all but boring with both games seeing tie scores.

The Springer Lady Red Devils took off with a quick six point lead by Kyra Laumbach and they slowly spread it out enjoying the lead for the first half of the game. That lead would grow to as much as 12 points with the help of 3-pointers and close in shots as Springer worked the ball and worked it inside for the shot.

Second half action would see the Springer lead slip away and for a brief time late in the third period the Questa Lady Wildcats took the lead. With the crowd in the ball game the Lady Red Devils took control and by the end of the third were up by eight and would control that lead through the fourth.

At the buzzer Springer owned the title of District 1A champs for 2013.

The 2013 District 1A champs Jordan Scott, Kyra Laumbach, Angelica Montoya, Kara Burton, Tiana Garcia, Kylie Daugherty, Cordilia Tafoya, Michelle Finkbone, Coach Thomas Ybarra.

Again in the boys game Springer took a quick lead but it was a fast paced and physical game that soon saw the six point lead that Springer held at the end of the first quarter slip into a tie game in the second quarter. Again the crowd was in the game and Springer pulled away but by no means was it a stable lead.

As the buzzer ended the first half Springer lead the game by eight. The second half of the game was still a fast paced game with the lead slipping away then a turnover would change the momentum some and Springer would once again widen the lead.

Both teams worked the ball and drove it inside for points. The difference came when one or the other team would miss a basket. The other team would take advantage and work the ball in for points. it was back and forth like that for the remainder of the game. Yet when the final buzzer blew it was Springer who once again held the District 1A title.

The Springer Red Devils District 1A Champs,  Coach Jimmy Apodaca, Christian Chavez, Joey Wade, Sam Garcia, John Montoya, Uriel Urquijo, Isaac Cordova, Isaiah Garcia, Anthony Romero, Darren Montoya, assitant coach Johhny Lee Chavez, in the back is Brandon Frye, Austin Decker, Carlos Urquijo, Tyler Blake,

Girls Game
Questa     7  19  13  14  53
Springer 19 15  13  15  62

Questa High Point
Britney Cisneros 10 4 of 7 free throws
Free Throws 12 of 26 attempts

Springer High Point
Kyra Laumbach 27 4 of 6 free throws
Free Throws 16 of 28 attempts

Boys Game
Questa     16  10  17  14  57
Springer  22  12  15  21  70

Questa High Point
Jesus Ortega 27 1 of 3 free throws
Justin Torres 20  0 of 1 free throws
Free throws 5 of 8 attempts

Springer High Point
Joey Wade 30  8 of 7 free throws
Sam Garcia 20 4 of 7 free throws
Darren Montoya 12  4 of 8 free throws
Free throws 15 of 26 attempts

Oops there goes the ball as Kyra Laumbach stumbles into the paint early in the game. Kyra didnt do that often as she went to the paint and up for the first six points of the game and ended the night with 27 points for Springer.

Angelica Montoya goes to the floor to keep the ball during the District 1A championship game in Springer Saturday night.

Kylie Daugherty makes it look easy as she heads for the basket unopposed.

Sam Garcia drives the paint for the lay-up to widen the early lead for Springer during the District 1A championship game Saturday night in Springer.

Springer worked the ball and took it inside often as Darren Montoya does here against Agustin Rael for two of his 12 points on the night .

Zack Gallegos (10) and Kendal Cordova put the squeeze on Joey Wade as he drives the lane for the lay-up on his way to two of his 30 points.

Pressure shuts out Tigers

WLV  22  15  22  20  79
Raton   9  15  17  20  61

West High Point
Briana Hildalgo 10 0 of 2 free throws
Deana Bustos 26 2 of 2 free throws 4 3-points
Michelle Tapia 11 1 of 4 free throws
Free Throws 8 of 16 attempts

Raton High Point
Taryn Trujillo 15  2 of 2 free throws 3 3-points
Michelle Guara 17 1 of 4 free throws
Mikala Vertovec 19 6 of 7 free throws
Free Throws 10 of 19 attempts



The Lady Tigers hosted the Lady Dons for the first round of district play Monday night in Tiger Gym.

The Lady Dons controlled the game from the opening jump ball with a full court press for most of the game. The press and missed shots held Raton to only nine points in the first quarter. That deficit would prove to much to overcome and West would widen it by halftime.

Third quarter play continued pretty much as the first half with West maintaining a fairly consistent 20 point lead. Raton however finally found the basket and put the ball through the hoop more often.

West will play Robertson in the second round of district play. With 19 teams in 3A, Raton will have to wait to see if they will be invited to play in the sweet 16 of 3A.

Mariah Romero (2) goes for the lay-up while Michelle Tapia (40) runs interference for Deanna Bustos to make the block early in the game Monday night.

Taryn Trujillo goes for one of her 3 3-pointers of the game Monday night.

Maya Roybal (42) tangles with Taryn Trujillo for the ball. West played aggressive ball like this for the whole game which shut Raton down fairly well in the first quarter.

Michelle Guara (22) tries for the shot but Briana Hildago draws the foul sending Michelle to the free throw line where she made one of the two shots.

Taos Tigers pen Raton Tigers

JV Game
Taos   27  21  10  11  69
Raton  7     2    7    3  19

Taos High Point
James Roybal 12  1 of 3 free throws
Jesse Weber 13  1 of 2 free throws
Free Throws 5 of 12 attempts

Raton High Point
Mike Vigil 12
Free Throws 0 of 2 attempts

Varsity Game
Taos  14  17  22  17  71
Raton 9   10   6   31  56


Taos High Point
Estevan Garcia 11 4 of 4 free throws
Kiko Martinez 12 3 of 4 free throws
Kyle Willis 10
Shane Willis 11 3 of 4 free throws
Free Throws 15 of 26 attempts

Raton High Point
Rashaan Craig 29 9 of 10 free throws
Jay Starr 15 3 of 6 free throws
Free Throws 17 of 23 attempts

Senior Jay Starr stepped up and kept Raton in striking distance in the first quarter. Yet it wasn't enough to keep them close enough as Taos kept the pace fast and defensive.

Taos wasted no time bringing on the pressure as they will have to play Pojoaque for a tie breaker for first place in District 2AAA. Turnovers with points soon allowed Taos to widen their point spread and with a fresh bench Coach Daniel Trujillo to give his top players a break. While Rashaan Craig and Caleb Wood were back on the bench Coach Gilbert San Roman only had two player to liberally substitute with.

The game continued on and was rough and tumble at times with jeers from the fans on calls or lack of by the referees. As a result both teams garnered over 10 team fouls in the second half. By the fourth quarter Rashaan Craig woke up and with the help of the others on the team Raton out scored Taos 31 to 17 yet it was to little to late to close the 28 point gap at the end of the third.

Raton will be on the road for the first round of district play and will likely travel to Las Vegas for their first game.

Tiger Cats Dance Seniors Mariah Daniels, Sarah Earle, Helen Segura, Miranda Luksich, Autumn Hunnicutt, Lakken Medina, Devon Gutierrez

Seniors Dustin Gonzales, Mark Hightree, Jay Starr

Jeremiah Atencio chases a loose ball during the JV game Saturday night in Tiger Gym.

Jay Starr grabs the rebound during the last regular season game Saturday night.

Senior Dustin Gonzales goes for the rebound while Kyle Willis moves to get a finger on the ball.

Mark Hightree's shot goes awry as Jay Starr was set for the rebound Saturday evening in Tiger Gym.

Dustin Gonzales prepares to set for the shot before a big crowd in tiger Gym Saturday.

Mark Hightree concentrates on goal as he tries to close the deficit on the score board.

Another rebound by Jay Starr late in the game Saturday night as Taos' Chris Nalls falls short

Taos Lady Tigers Solidify District Title with Win

JV Game
Taos 8  17  12  19  56
Raton 4  3   7     9  23

Taos High Point
Feliz Espinoza 16 2 of 3 free throws
Free throws 13 of 22 attempts

Raton High Point
Emily Harrington  5
Sarandon Walton 5
Free Throws 1 of 10 free throws

Varsity Game
Taos  8  7  9  19  43
Raton 5 6 15 13  39

Taos High Point
Marisol Martinez 11 with 7 of 11 free throws
Marcella Sanchez 14  4 of 6 free throws
Free Throws 14 of 20 attempts

Raton High Point
Michelle Guara 20  4 of 8 free throws
Free Throws 7 of 20 attempts

By halftime Taos was only up by four 11-15. It simply shows that both teams played strong defense and kept each other away from the bucket. Raton also had to cope with the loss of senior Brylee Medina who suffered a knee injury early in the second quarter of the game.

As second half action got under way the close score became a tie game when Raton caught up and then took the lead with a Taryn Trujillo hitting a couple of 3-pointers and Michelle Guara finding the spot under the basket. Raton took the lead into the fourth quarter with a 26-24 score at the end of the third.

Raton kept the lead until halfway through the fourth when Taos once again took the lead and extended it by six. Raton pulled it together and came within two but a couple of turnovers finally bit Raton and left the final score at 43-39. Free throws also played a big part in this game as Raton went 35% while Taos did 70% at the line. Had Raton made only four more free throws the result of the game might have been different. 

The District Tourney will begin next week with game schedules coming out Sunday or Monday.

Caydence Sisneros makes it look easy as she drives the lane for the shot in front of the basket. during the JV game.

The SRs Brylee Medina, Dominique Zamora, Noelle McDonald, Mariah Gallegos and Manager America Astorga

 

The Senior Cheerleaders Nicole James, Hunter Garcia, Kelly Ortiz, Brittany Sanchez, Kali Fanelli and Raina Morphew

Michelle Guara and Marcella Sanchez tangle for the ball

Michelle Guara concentrates on the basket with a two point lead. Michelle made 4 of 8 free throws during the game

Brylee Medina drives the lane early in the varsity game Friday night before she suffered a knee injury in the second quarter.

Mikala Vertovec and Midnight Lujan scramble for the ball results in a tie ball Friday night during the varsity game.

Michelle Guara gives Mikala Vertovec a little support before her free throw attempt. Mikala made three of 8 free throws on the night.

Lady Tigers Mark the Win Column Again

The Lady Tigers tangled with the Lady Dons Thursday night and came away with a little sweet Valentine's Day victory after loosing to West in West by only two points at the buzzer.

Raton started off a little on the slow side trailing early in the game and then wow the right combination fell together and the ball started to fall through the hoop for the Lady Tigers. The girls continued their lead at times pulling out by as much as 20 points.

West not a team to give up easy would make a turnover happen. That often lead to a score and thus closing the deficit on the scoreboard. Yet as the buzzer sounded at the end of the game Raton was the winning team moving their district record up to 3-3 while West dropped to a 2-4.

Raton moves on to Robertson this weekend and will host Taos next weekend to end the regular season.

JV Game
WLV  10  12  27  5  54
Raton   3    6    4  4  17

West High Point
Lovanna Valencha 14 2 of 3 free throws
Free throws 13 of 23 attempts

Raton High Point
Ashley Nuerauter 6  2 of 4 Free throws
Free Throws 5 of 9 attempts

Varsity Game
WLV 12  16  16  14  58
Raton 18  15  20  16  69

West High Point
Michelle Tapia 26 10 of 10 free throws
Free Throws 15 of 21 attempts

Raton High Point
Brylee Medina 22 8 of 9 free throws
Michelle Guara 10 2 of 4 free throws
Mikala Vertovec 16 3 of 10 free throws
Free Throws 14 of 28 attempts

Briana Pais goes up for the lay-up as Sara Gold (20) and Shania Gallegos (55) get in the way during the JV game Thursday night in the Jungle Gym.

Deanna Bustos blocks the way, yet Brylee Medina still makes the shot from the lane during the varsity game Thursday night.

Dominique Zamora and Deanna Bustos tangle on the floor for the ball.

Mikala Vertovec goes up for two of her 16 points

Consentration is key as Mikala Vertovec prepares to put one up at the line

Deanna Bustos gets a hand on the ball as Michelle Guara starts up for a lay-up early in the game Thursday night

Raton has tough night in the Jungle

JV game
WLV 17  17  19  16  69
Raton  8    0  15    7  30

WLV High Point
Anthony Medina 22
Chance Barber  10
Free Throws 3 of 7 attempts

Raton High Point
Jodas Gonzales 15  2 of 2 free throws
Free throws 2 of 5 attempts

Varsity Game
WLV 15  21  20  22  79
Raton 16   9    4  18  47

WLV High Point
Andres Gallegos 11 1 of 2 free throws
Joe Ortiz 24  7 of 9 free throws
Free Throws 13 of 20 attempts

Raton High Point
Mark Hightree 19
Jay Starr 11 1 of 4 free throws
Free Throws 5 of 11 attempts



Raton hosted the West Las Vegas Dons Wednesday night in the Jungle Gym for their second district match of the regular season.

The Tigers came on strong to begin the game and stayed with the Dons until the second quarter where turnovers and a fast paced run and gun game began to wear on the Tigers. Another problem Coach Gilbert San Roman had to deal with was a short bench. The bench consisted of the JV team and he only had a couple of players that could play more than one quarter of the varsity game.

San Roman was also short two varsity players, Caleb Wood and Rashaan Craig who had been benched for discipline issues. With a short bench San Roman wasn't able to substitute his player to keep them rested. As a result the Dons pressure began to force turnovers that lead to scores for West.

When the buzzer sounded it had been a long hard game for Raton and left them 0-5 on the season in district play.

Jodas Gonzales drives for the base line against Devin Medina (23) during the JV game Wednesday night in Tiger Gym.

Jay Starr goes for the short jumper as Lucas Rodriguez slides in behind him to try and block the shot during the varsity game \.

One of the few times Dustin Gonzales was open enough to get a shot off during the varsity game Wednesday night. A strong West defense kept the Tigers from making very many inside shots.

Mark Hightree drives the lane and draws the charging foul putting Mike Ortiz on the floor as he goes up for the lay-up.

Varsity Girls Ground Cardinals

JV Game
Robertson 15  12  21  8  56
Raton        10    2    5  4  21

Robertson High Point
Mary Miller  9 1 of 2 free throws
Caitlin Deifendorf 11 1 of 2 free throws
Free Throws  2 of 6 attempts

Raton High Point
Emily Harrington 10
Free throws 1 of 6 attempts


Varsity Game
Robertson 13  10    7  23  53
Raton        19  16  12  14  61

Robertson High Point
Abbey Bradley 11 3 of 6 free throws
Heather Aragon 15  1 of 2 free throws
Free Throws 10 of 16 attempts

Raton High Point
Mariah Romero 14  1 of 4 free throws
Brylee Medina 10  2 of 3 free throws
Michelle Guara 10  0 for 2 free throws
Mikala Vertovec 16  4 of 6 free throws
Free Throws 12 of 24 attempts

The Varsity game started off with a technical foul for Robertson as they failed to get a player listed in the scorebook, Brylee Medina swooshed those two through to give Raton the lead that they would never relinquish throughout the game.

Both Raton and Robertson had fast breaks during the game but each team could only capitalize on a few of those. At one point in the second quarter it seemed like the girls were playing tennis with each team simply batting a pass away.

Raton however stumbled a little and allowed Robertson to close a 20 point deficit to eight. Good defense and allowed Raton to maintain the lead. The lead however would have been extended if Raton had completed more of the 11 free throws they shot in the fourth quarter. Raton only put in three of those shots.

Ashley Nuerauter and Hannah Lopez make it a tie ball during the JV game Thursday evening.

Mariah Romero goes for the lay-up, one of her 14 points on the night.

Erica Herrera (22) draws the foul as she attempts a block on Brylee Medina (5) goes for the lay-up.

Dominic Zamora attempts to add one more to the score board with only seconds remaining in the fourth quarter thursday night in Tiger Gym.