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TCS Lady Warriors  Senior 2023- NMHSCA Class 1A/2A, NM All-Star Basketball

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TCS Lady Warriors  Senior 2023- NMHSCA Class 1A/2A, NM All-Star Basketball

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NMHSCA 1A/2A All-Star game: Siblings compete on opposite teams

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NMHSCA 1A/2A All-Star game: Siblings compete on opposite teams

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To'hajiilee siblings Alyce and Tyler-Rose Apachito had not faced each other during their high school careers.

The two seniors made the 2023 New Mexico High School Coaches Association All-Star game and they played on opposite teams.

"It was pretty weird because sometimes I wanted to pass her the ball," Alyce said. "And sometimes I seen her trying to pass it to me, but I enjoyed competing against her.

"It was a lot of fun," she said.

Tyler-Rose said making the all-star game with her cousin is something she will not forget.

"It means a lot to both of us because we're making our community proud," she said. "We went out there for them and we also made our families proud too, so it was awesome that we're both all-stars."

It was Tyler-Rose's team that got the best of Friday's 1A/2A All-Star game as the Green squad nailed 11 treys over the Red team in a 77-62 ballgame at Gallup High School.

"I think we just got along with each other," Tyler-Rose said of her team that also included Laguna Acoma senior Sylvia Gedman.

"We got three practices in and we worked really hard in practice," said Tyler-Rose, who finished with eight points and two treys. "You could say, working hard does pay off."

Gedman was the lone Laguna Acoma player to make the all-star team as she finished with two points.

"I was actually surprised that I got selected," the 6-foot-2 post player said. "I kind of forgot that there was going to be an all-star game, so it came as a complete surprise that I made it.

"I thought my point guard, Erica Martin, would have made it with me," she added.

Gedman felt that she did her part inside as the guard play of the Green team shouldered the team's production in the second half.

At the half, the Green team led 36-28 and following the break they hit nailed eight treys in its 15-point win.

"Our point guards were really good," Gedman said. "They're all amazing and they can all shoot. We relied on the guards today and they delivered."

And while the Green team carried the momentum with its 3-point accuracy, Alyce came on strong for the Red team by scoring 14 of her team-best 16 points in the second half.

"It was all about me waking up," Alyce said of her exploits. "I'm used to playing team ball, but this time I had to take over and show out."

The Red team also got six points from Alamo Navajo senior Hailey Apachito.

With graduation around the corner, Alyce said she's planning on studying either early childhood or nursing.

"I'm hoping to play college basketball as well," she said.

And while she does have some offers from the state of New York and Arizona, Alyce said she's contemplating on staying local.

Tyler-Rose said she's looking to join the Northern New Mexico University women's basketball program in the fall in Espanola, New Mexico.

Gedman also has a few offers in both volleyball and basketball.

"I'm keeping my options open right now," she said. "I'm going to look at what offers are out there and what's best for me."

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NMHSCA 1A/2A All-Star game: Siblings compete on opposite teams - Navajo Times

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To'hajiilee siblings Alyce and Tyler-Rose Apachito had not faced each other during their high school careers. The two seniors made the 2023 New Mexico High School Coaches Association All-Star game and they played on opposite teams. "It was pretty weird because sometimes I wanted to pass her the ball," Alyce said.

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Girls roundup: To’hajiilee earns fourth seed in 1A bracket

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Girls roundup: To’hajiilee earns fourth seed in 1A bracket

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By Santiago Ramos Jr.
Special to the Times
GRANTS, N.M.
The To'hajiilee girls basketball team got the No. 4 seed in the Class 1A bracket.

The Lady Warriors will host No. 13 Jemez Valley (19-10) in the Sweet 16 round Friday at 6 p.m.

To'hajiilee head coach Thomas Sullivan said he was expecting to play top seed Pine Hill in the district tournament finals Saturday. But Pine Hill was upset by Ramah 59-41 in the semifinals by Ramah.

"We were actually expecting to play Pine Hill," Sullivan said. "Ramah is a good team. We were just well prepared for anything they threw at us. We matched up with them really well."

Sullivan said he was disappointed with the No. 4 seed for state after compiling an impressive 24-1 record.

"As for the No. 4 seed we are disappointed in that seed," he said. "We felt we deserved a higher seed. But it's only a number on paper. We will definitely prove that we deserved a higher seed."

To'hajiilee played Jemez Valley earlier in the season and came away with an easy 71-30 win.

"We played Jemez at their place earlier in the year and we handled them pretty well. I don't see that changing. We are playing our best ball right now and we have one goal in mind."

Laguna Acoma

The Laguna Acoma Lady Hawks earned the No. 3 seed for the Class 2A girls state basketball tournament.

Laguna Acoma held on to top Dulce 37-34 in the District 1-2A championship finals Saturday.

Laguna Acoma and Dulce finished in a tie for first in the district at 5-1. In the tiebreaker, Laguna Acoma easily defeated Dulce 54-41. In the season's final game, LA lost to Dulce 38-33.

Laguna Acoma (19-9) earned the No. 3 seed will get to host No. 14 Menaul (18-9) Friday night at 7 p.m. in the Class 2A Sweet 16 round at state.

Alamo Navajo

Alamo Navajo (21-6) received the No. 5 seed and will get to host No. 12 Dora (18-9) Friday in the Class 1A Sweet 16 round at 5 p.m.

Alamo Navajo was the District 3-1A champs with a perfect 8-0 record. Alamo Navajo beat Corona/Vaughn 44-37 in the district tournament finals Friday.

Pine Hill

Pine Hill (14-14) was upset by Ramah (12-17) 59-41 in the District 1-1A semifinals Thursday.

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Girls roundup: To'hajiilee earns fourth seed in 1A bracket - Navajo Times

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By Santiago Ramos Jr. Special to the Times GRANTS, N.M. The To'hajiilee girls basketball team got the No. 4 seed in the Class 1A bracket. The Lady Warriors will host No. 13 Jemez Valley (19-10) in the Sweet 16 round Friday at 6 p.m.

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Gametime- February 14, 2023, with To'Hajiilee Girls Basketball Team

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Gametime- February 14, 2023, with To'Hajiilee Girls Basketball Team

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Gametime February 14 2023 with ToHajiilee girls basketball team

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Defense has kept the To'hajiilee girls on top.

On Saturday, the Lady Warriors capped the regular season with a 54-42 win over district foe Pine Hill.

That 12-point earned the Lady Warriors a top finish in District 1-1A as it went undefeated with an 8-0 mark.

"It feels pretty good," said first-year To'hajiilee coach Thomas Sullivan, whose team improved to 17-4 overall. "You know they progressed every game, we just got better at every game, and that is what we talk about. We're not looking at ultimate goals; we just tried to get better every game."

As the district's top seed, To'hajiilee will get a bye into Friday's championship, as it hosts the surviving team that gets out of the five-team bracket.

In the regular-season finale, To'hajiilee led 26-13 at the break, and it extended that margin to as much as 24 points.

Pine Hill, however, used an 11-6 run at the start of the fourth to get within 48-36.

"We've been doing that a lot," Sullivan said. "We'll get out to a big lead, and it's hard for our girls to stay focused. We'll get into a little bit of a lull there."

After a 55-42 non-district setback to Roswell Gateway Christian, To'hajiilee has won six straight to end the regular season.

"They have really come together," Sullivan said. "We're probably playing our best ball when we were playing in the Striking Eagle tournament in December.

"The defense has been coming on really strong," he added. "That's our strength right now."

Offensively, To'hajiilee was led by Makayla Yazzie's 15 points in the win over Pine Hill. The Warriors also got a dozen points from senior Erynn Montehermoso.

For Pine Hill, sophomore Virances Martinez had 13, and senior Bailey Nez chipped in 12.

Pine Hill coach Carlett Daniels said they dug themselves an early hole and attributed that to To'hajiilee spreading the floor.

"They got their biggest lead when they spread us out," he said. "Other than that, we played with them.

"We lost to them the first time by nine, and then we lost to them by 12, so we're almost there," he added. "We just had a horrible third quarter, and we had an amazing fourth quarter, and we made it a game out of it."

Daniels stated that his team has to limit their turnovers to give them a chance to win against a quality team like To'hajiilee.

"We had like 20 turnovers today, and you can't win a game like that," he said.

With a 9-9 record heading into the district tournament, Daniels said he likes their chances as they would have played Ramah last night for the right to take on To'hajiilee.

Boys

On Saturday, the Pine Hill boys secured the second seed by defeating To'hajiilee by a 78-43 count.

After a slow start, Pine Hill started to pull away from the home team as they led 19-6 after one-quarter of play.

At the half, it was extended to 34-17, and at the end of third, the score was 59-32.

Pine Hill added another 17 points in the fourth in its runaway win.

Sophomore Elias Andrew led the team with 20 while senior Beau Duboise added 10.

"This game was getting them some confidence," said Pine Hill coach Tyrell Daniels, who played all 15 guys that suited up.

"I'm getting some of my benches some reps, and having some fun," he said. "Sometimes basketball isn't so fun. It can be stressful, and the games are tough.

"This was a breath of fresh air for us," he added. "It's helping us get reenergized for what's coming up."

With Ramah getting the automatic bid for state by winning the district, Daniels said they would need to win the tournament to make the 1A playoffs.

"That is what we're going for now," Daniels said while adding that they came up short to Ramah two times.

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To'hajiilee wins district race - Navajo Times

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Defense has kept the To'hajiilee girls on top. On Saturday, the Lady Warriors capped the regular season with a 54-42 win over district foe Pine Hill. That 12-point earned the Lady Warriors a top finish in District 1-1A as it went undefeated with an 8-0 mark.

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To'hajiilee's Donata Secatero hits game-winner

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To'hajiilee's Donata Secatero hits game-winner

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Lady Warriors advance to 1A title game

By Santiago Ramos Jr.
Special to the Times
RIO RANCHO. N.M.
With time running out, Lady Warrior senior guard Donata Secatero laid in the winning layup to lift No. 4 seed To'hajiilee past top seed Melrose in a dramatic 54-53 state semifinals win Thursday afternoon during the Class 1A girls state basketball championships at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

To'hajiilee (27-1) will play No. 2 Roy/Mosquero in the state finals Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Pit. Roy/Mosquero downed No. 6 Animas 55-39 in its state semifinals.

Melrose junior Karlee Elliott gave the Lady Buffaloes a brief lead when she sank the back end of a two-shot foul with 16.9 seconds left in the game.

But Secatero went to the hoop and scored the go-ahead basket, 54-53. She was fouled on the play but was unable to convert.

Melrose's Sorrell Allen grabbed the rebound, but Kinlee Bradley failed to connect on a final shot as time expired, sending To'hajiilee to its first state finals.

"She won the game for us," To'hajiilee head coach Thomas Sullivan said of Secatero. "I told the girls we're pretty much evenly matched up. Whoever executed better today was going to win the game. And it just so happens we had the ball last."

Sullivan said that he expected a close game with Melrose.

"I told them a long time ago that when we were going to match up with Melrose today, it was going to be a dogfight to the end. We told them at halftime it was going to come down to the last possession. And it did."

Secatero said she needed to step up in the final seconds.

"I just knew that I had to step up, help my team," she said. "I was doing turnovers and everything like that, so I knew that I had to step up for my team. I'm so glad that they were shooting, they were getting rebounds, they were assisting, getting some steals. I'm thankful for this. I just knew I had to step up with 10 seconds on the clock. I had a good shot."

During last year's state semifinals, To'hajiilee was eliminated by Melrose.

"Melrose has been our nemesis since she was a freshman," said Sullivan pointing to Secatero. "She finally got them this year."

Melrose head coach Josh Meyer said it was a "tough loss."

"I thought we got a good trap right there. We were just trying to slow them down. We had a good trap, and that girl just threw it over her head, found her, and scrambled, and we gave up that shot. We were trying to get a timeout. We could have a great outlet and get a layup, and I chose not to call a timeout."

Meyer gave credit to To'hajiilee.

"They're the best passing team in 1A girls basketball," he said. "They're very good passing the ball, so we focused on blocking their cuts. But we had every opportunity. Any time you get a one-point game, you look back and watch that film that's gonna hurt - missed layup here, missed layup there.

"Hats off to To'hajiilee," he said. "They played great. They hit a lot of key shots and did a lot of great things."

To'hajiilee shot 40 percent (16 of 40), while Melrose shot a poor 31 percent (15 of 49). That miserable shooting paved the way for the unexpected state semifinal loss for the Lady Buffaloes.

Melrose, which won three straight state titles from 2018 to 2020, led for the first quarter and a half before To'hajiilee tied the game for the first of seven ties at 17-all after a score by Cadence Secatero and then grabbed its first lead of the game 20-17 on a trey by Tyler-Rose Apachito with 4:40 left in the first half.

Lady Warrior Kaiden Wilson, who led the team with 17 points hitting 3-of-4 treys, sank free throws early in the fourth quarter to tie it at 43-43.

Donata Secatero, who added 14 points and six rebounds, completed an old-fashioned three-point play that tied it at 49-49 with less than two minutes left. Alyce Apachito put the Lady Warriors back in front on a putback. A free throw by Cadence Secatero made it a three-point game, 52-49.

Graci Odom, who chipped in 14 points, sank the front end of a 1-and-1 for Melrose with less than a minute remaining. In contrast, teammate Isabelle Sena, who finished with a game-high 19 points, tied it for the seventh and final time that, set up the winning shot by Donata Secatero.

"Hey, we got to stop No. 13 (Sena) and her penetration," Sullivan said, "We've been watching her all year. She's been doing that all year. You stop her, and she dishes off to a teammate. She is really good at that. We just had to come back and try to stop the best we could and take care of what we do.

"I told the girls that it was going to come down to execution, free throws and boxing out, and getting the rebounds. They (Melrose) kinda lost their composure a little bit. They missed some shots they normally hit, and my girls never lose their composure. They're prepared for anything they face."

The Lady Warriors, which will lose seven seniors, posted two effortless wins at state, whipping No. 13 Jemez Valley 78-34 in the Sweet 16 round and No. 11 Dora 69-42 in the state quarterfinals.

Melrose dumped No. 16 Cimarron 55-20 in the first round and then turned back No. 8 Springer 44-33 in the state quarterfinals.

Sullivan said that seeding does not matter at state.

"We told the girls this time anything can happen at any time at any moment," he said.

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To'hajiilee's Donata Secatero hits game-winner - Navajo Times

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By Santiago Ramos Jr. Special to the Times RIO RANCHO. N.M. With time running out, Lady Warrior senior guard Donata Secatero laid in the winning layup to lift No. 4 seed To'hajiilee past top seed Melrose in a dramatic 54-53 state semifinals win Thursday afternoon during the Class 1A girls state basketball championships at the Rio Rancho Events Center.