By Don Eskins
How ‘bout them Cavegirls! Seeded 12th for this year’s Class 5A State Basketball Tournament, they were picked to be cannon fodder for New Mexico’s elite cage teams at the NMAA’s Big Dance.
As a 12th seed, sportscasters across New Mexico were picking Carlsbad to lose, and lose early. However, the Cavegirls weren’t listening.
“We figured we’d be the 12th seed, even before the brackets went out,” said Cavegirl head coach Matt Enloe. “As a 12th seed, we felt that we’d get some favorable matchups in the early rounds of the tournament.”
And favorable they were!
Peaking at the right time, Enloe’s girls went on to register two of the biggest upsets in girls’ state basketball history.
On Friday night, March 7, during the first round of state tournament play, CHS (18-10) snuck by the fifth-seeded 21-5 Albuquerque High Bulldogs 31-29. On Tuesday night, March 11, during Big Dance quarterfinal play, the Cavegirls shocked the fourth-seeded 23-6 Farmington Scorpions 60-56.
While the Cavegirls rode their patented defensive play throughout their first two games, opposing teams could find no way to put the stops on CHS guard Abbey Dugan.
Dugan, on a mission to make her senior year of basketball a memorable one, did just that.
In registering their 31-29 win over Albuquerque High, Dugan scored 22 points, and in their 60-56 victory over Farmington, she scored 31.
Still alive in the state tournament picture after their triumph over Farmington, the 20-10 Cavegirls were scheduled to take on their old nemesis, the top-ranked and No. 1 seeded Hobbs Eagles (28-1), in the tourney’s semi-finals on Thursday night, March 13.
It marked only the third time in Cavegirl basketball history that they made it to the state tournament’s semi-final round.
“Our kids have beaten two very good teams. To do that, they’ve all played their hearts out. They don’t leave anything in the tank,” said Enloe. “Our coaching staff couldn’t be more proud of a group of girls. They’re all very special young ladies.”
In two earlier meetings this year, the Eagles won both. The Local will post the outcome of that game in our March 21 edition.
A win over the Birds would move the Cavegirls on to the state tourney’s championship game on Saturday, March 15. The matchup will take place in the UNM Pit. Tipoff for the game has been set for 2 p.m.
Cavegirls 60, Farmington 56
On Tuesday night, March 11, during quarter-final-round action of the Class 5A State Basketball Tournament, the Carlsbad Cavegirls continued to turn heads.
An underdog for the second straight time, the 12th-seeded Cavegirls upset the fourth-seeded Farmington Scorpions 60-56. But the CHS victory didn’t come easy.
“Farmington was every bit as good as they were billed to be, especially on offense, where they created a few problems for us. They had three good shooters who could hit from outside the arc,” said coach Enloe. “But, defensively, our girls never backed down.
“We got some big boards from our girls playing low, Jasmynn Gonzales, Becca Brown, and Abbey Dugan,” he said. “But just as important was the effort we got from our three girls who play at the top, Cameron Zumbrun, Hayden Brose, and Maci Garcia. They’re all fast and quick to the ball. They put a lot of pressure on Farmington’s shooters and made it difficult for them to get off their shots.”
Offensively, riding the hot hand of senior point guard Abbey Dugan, the Cavegirls outscored the favored Scorpions in all but one quarter. And although the Scorps did make a few runs at the Cavegirl lead, CHS always found a way to answer.
Leading Farmington 33-28 at the half, CHS, after watching the Scorpions battle back to trail by just one after three, 43-42, outscored Farmington 17-14 during the final eight minutes of play to grab the 60-56 win.
Once again, Dugan took the lead offensively for the Cavegirls, scoring 31 points on the night. On fire during CHS’s big fourth period, she scored 14 of their 17 points.
But Dugan wasn’t the only Cavegirl to register points against the Scorpions. Also having big nights with the ball were Jasmynn Gonzales, 12 points; Hayden Brose, nine points; and Becca Brown, eight points.
“Our coaching staff was extremely happy with the balance we showed in scoring against Farmington,” said the Cavegirl coach. “We had girls put up points from both the inside and out. It was certainly one of the best efforts we’ve had all season long, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.”
As for Abbey, Enloe said he was in no way surprised about the scoring spree she’s been on during their first two state tournament games.
“Abbey’s the most competitive player I’ve ever coached. She hates to lose, and she always gives everything she has,” he said. “To get this far in the state tournament, you have to have a good leader on the floor. For us, it’s Abbey.”
Equally big for the Cavegirls in their win over Farmington was their performance at the free-throw line. CHS sank 10 of their 13 attempts for an average of 77%.
State Tourney- Qt. Final
CHS 18-15-10-17--60
FHS 15-13-14-14--56
Scoring: Abbey Dugan 31, Jasmynn Gonzales 12, Hayden Brose 9, and Becca Brown 8: 2 pt. FG’s 16; 3pt. FG’s 6; FT’s 10-13-77%.
Cavegirls 31, Alb. High 29,
The Carlsbad Cavegirls wasted no time to put a wrinkle in this year’s Class 5A state basketball tournament predictions.
On Friday night, March 7, in Albuquerque, the 12th-seeded Cavegirls, after falling behind by 10 points, 25-15, at the end of the third period, rallied to outscore the fifth-seeded Albuquerque High School Bulldogs 16-3 in the fourth to upset the Duke City squad 31-29.
“I thought I was going to have a heart attack. The game was that intense,” said Enloe. “But our staff never lost confidence in our kids. With a great effort in the fourth, we knew they could come back.”
And come back, they did, on both sides of the ball!
Carlsbad High amped up their defensive pressure to hold the high-scoring Bulldogs to just three points in the final period while ripping the nets for 16 of their own en route to a 31-29 state tournament first-round victory.
Assuming the reins of CHS’s offensive effort was Abbey Dugan. The 5’9” senior guard poured in 22 points in leading Carlsbad to the victory.
Twelve of Dugan’s points came during the final eight minutes of play when the Cavegirls needed her the most. To accumulate those points, she dropped in three field goals and made good on six of 8 free throws.
With the win, the Cavegirls, now 19-10 on the year, moved on to the state tournament’s quarterfinal round of play to take on the fourth-seeded Farmington Scorpions.
State Tourney- Round 1
CHS 06-06-03-16--31
AHS 05-09-11-03--29
Scoring: Abbey Dugan 22, Hayden Brose 4, Becca Brown 3, Jasmynn Gonzales 2; 2pt FG’s 10; 3pt FG’s 0; FT’s 11-16-69%. (CHS Stats)
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