Texico sweeps Clayton

TEXICO – Coming off an unlikely run to a Class 2A state championship last March, Texico's girls are bidding for a repeat performance.

They were 6-12 last season when they won 11 of their final 12 games to claim their first state title since 2018. Ironically, the Lady Wolverines were also 6-12 this season, but have notched four wins in their past five outings – including a victory over then-Class 2A top-ranked Tatum.

Monday night's 56-49 District 6-2A win over Clayton moved Texico into second place in the district behind Pecos. The Lady Wolverines (10-13, 3-2 district) host the third-ranked Lady Panthers (18-6, 5-0) in Friday's regular-season finale.

"I thought we had some kids step up and hit some shots that we needed," Texico girls coach Jaylyn Cook said.

Senior guards Desiree Holman and Kaya New scored 12 and 11 points respectively, as the Lady Wolverines opened early leads of 8-0 and 16-3 and never trailed, although Clayton (15-10, 2-3) got within two in the third period. Texico then went on another long run (17-3) to put it out of reach.

"It was good to see Kaya New hit some shots," Cook said. "She needed to see the ball go in the basket."

Sophomore guard Brylee Burgin added 10 points off the bench – all in the third quarter.

Senior Annibel Vigil led the Lady Jackets with 14 points, while junior Victoria Moncada added 12 and senior Emersen Beiland 10. Clayton could still get second in the district on a head-to-head points tiebreaker if it beats last-place Santa Rosa on Friday and Texico loses to Pecos.

Texico 80, Clayton 34 – As with the girls, the Wolverines blitzed Clayton early, leading 8-0 and 19-3. The difference was the Yellowjackets (9-16, 0-5) never mounted any sort of comeback as Texico (14-10, 5-0) clinched the outright district title with its sixth win in a row.

Texico won the earlier matchup at Clayton 71-63.

"They're a good team; they played us good up there," Wolverines coach Craig Cook said. "The key is our kids were playing for a purpose. We hadn't won a district championship in seven years, and that kept us locked in."

Junior Alex Fuentes scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half, then added two free throws on a technical foul after Clayton was late coming back to the floor after halftime. Senior Daltyn Cain scored nine of his 14 points in the opening stanza, while senior Blake Curtis had 11 of his 13 before intermission.

"I'm excited," Fuentes said. "We've come together like I always believed we would.

"We struggled at the start of the season. We had some tough losses, but (those games are) helping us the the end of the season."

Even when they emptied the bench in the final quarter, the Wolverines outscored the Yellowjackets 14-7.

Texico had just eight turnovers in the contest while forcing Clayton into 20.

"We played well on defense," Fuentes said. "We were able to pressure them and make them throw the ball away."

Sophomore Christophere Herrera led the Yellowjackets with eight points.

Melrose 73, Gateway Christian 38 (boys, Saturday) – At Roswell, the Buffaloes built a 22-point halftime lead and cruised past the Warriors.

Junior Cy Draper scored 15 points for Melrose (21-3), ranked No. 1 this week in Class 1A by MaxPreps, while juniors Chance Brittenum and Brayden Eldridge each had 10 points. Sophomore Sam Waide was the leading scorer for Gateway Christian (8-15) with three 3-pointers and nine points.

Thursday night, the Buffs close out the regular season at home against district champion and third-ranked Fort Sumner (19-4), which outlasted second-ranked Logan (21-4, 2-3) 79-76 on Saturday night. With a win, Melrose would earn the No. 2 seed in next week's district tournament.