The Gallup area was well represented at the 2024 Nusenda Credit Union Basketball State Championship games.
Seven teams from the Gallup-McKinley County Schools district made it to the championship games. The Rehoboth Christian boys team also showed up.
BENGALS
The Gallup Bengals entered the first round of the tournament, but they ultimately lost to the Albuquerque Academy Charges on March 9. They lost 92-67.
The Lady Bengals faired a little bit better, beating the Pojoaque Valley Elkettes in the first round on March 8 with a score of 69-29. They went on to outscore the Portales Rams in the state quarterfinals on March 12 with a score of 66-56. However, they couldn’t keep the streak going; they lost to the Kirtland Central Lady Broncos, who they lost to three times in the regular season, in the semifinals on March 14. The final score was 61-47.
HAWKS
The Thoreau Hawks also had both their boys and girls teams compete in the tournament. The boys lost in the first round in an away game against the Hot Springs Tigers on March 9. The score was 62-25. The girls also fell short in the first round, losing to the West Las Vegas Dons with a score of 54-44 on March 8.
LYNX
The Rehoboth Christian boys team made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament. They beat the Mora Rangers 59-52 in the first round on March 9, but couldn’t get past the Mesa Vista Trojans in the quarterfinals on March 13. They lost 66-54.
EAGLES
The Lady Eagles qualified for the state championship, but their luck ran out in the first round on March 9 when they had to play the Tohatchi Lady Cougars. They lost 58-37.
COUGARS
The true stars of the tournament were the Tohatchi Lady Cougars. After beating the Lady Eagles, they moved on to the quarterfinals, where they faced the Zuni Thunderbirds on March 12. They flew past the Thunderbirds, scoring 48 points to their 16.
After the quarterfinals the Lady Cougars took on the Santa Fe Indian Braves in the semifinals on March 14. They beat them with a score of 44-39, and then set their sights on the state championship game on March 16.
It was a tight match, but the Lady Cougars lost to the Navajo Prep Eagles with a score of 41-26.
Although they did not fair as well as the Lady Cougars, the Cougars also made it to the tournament, losing to the West Las Vegas Dons on March 9 with a score of 73-57.
Staff Reports
