By Don Eskins
The 18-10 Carlsbad Cavegirls, having been seeded 12th for this year’s 2024-25 Class 5A State Basketball Tournament, will take on the Albuquerque High School Lady Bulldogs in the first round of this year’s state playoffs.
The Dogs, 21-5 on the year, have been seeded fifth for the NMAA’s Big Dance. The two clubs have not met this year. Tipoff for the clash has been set for 6 p.m. on Friday, March 7, in Albuquerque.
“We’re really looking forward to playing Albuquerque High. I don’t think we’ve ever played them,” said Cavegirl head coach Matt Enloe. “So, getting ready to open up the state tournament against someone totally new from the north has been really exciting for all of us.
“Albuquerque High, playing on their home court, will be tough. They have a couple of really good players; one’s an eighth grader, and the other a junior who’s really good at knocking down shots,” said the Cavegirl coach. “We’re going to have to play some great defense to keep them in check.”
CHS will primarily look to their big three—Abbey Dugan, Jasmynn Gonzales, and Becca Brown—once more for points. All seniors, Dugan at 5’10,” Gonzales at 5’10,” and Becca Brown at 5’11,” have been CHS’s top point-getters throughout the 2024-25 season.
“For the most part, they’ve been our leaders and go-to girls all year. We’re definitely going to need them to bring their ‘A’ games with them when we take the floor against the Bulldogs. They don’t need to be perfect; we just need another great effort from them defensively and on the scoreboard.
“Albuquerque High will be plenty tough; you don’t get to be a number five seed by playing bad basketball,” he said. “But, obviously underdogs, I like our chances. If we play Cavegirl defense, protect the ball, and can hit some shots along the way, I think our girls can beat Albuquerque High.”
Following first-round play, the state tournament will move to Albuquerque for its quarter-final, semi-final, and championship rounds on March 11-15.
A victory over the Bulldogs would move the Cavegirls on to a quarter-final meeting with the winner of the (4) Farmington vs. (13) Cleveland game on Tuesday, March 11, at 8:15 p.m. in the UNM Pit.
2024-25 NMAA Class 5A State Basketball Seeding: 1. Hobbs, 2. Sandia, 3. Mayfield, 4. Farmington, 5. Albuquerque High, 6. La Cueva, 7. Los Lunas, 8. Clovis, 9. Volcano Vista, 10. Rio Rancho, 11. Las Cruces, 12. Carlsbad, 13. Cleveland, 14. Roswell, 15. Centennial, 16. Piedra Vista.
On Thursday night, February 27, during second-round action at the District 4/5A tournament, the Cavegirls dropped a tough-fought 35-28 game to Clovis in Clovis. The following are the results of the game:
D4/5A Round 2
C-bad 13-03-07-05--28
CHS 04-09-08-14--35
Scoring: Abbey Dugan 12, Becca Brown 8, Maci Garcia 3, Jasmynn Gonzales 3, Hayden Brose 2.
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