Sports
Softball Teams Headed To State

Moriarty's Coach Says Season

In Hibernation

A Tale of Two Athletes

'Stangs, Bears Get District Track Titles

Monarch Is in Rare Sprinting Form

Estancia Making Play for 3rd Title

Del Norte Stung by Moriarty

Bears Dominate

Sports Shorts

More
Sports

HOME	CLASSIFIEDS	OBITUARIES	SPORTS	OPINION

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Loss to Menaul Ends East Mountain Girls' Season

By Harold Smith
Mountain View Telegraph
    Fade to black.
    The East Mountain High girls basketball team's 2007-08 season came to an abrupt end Monday. The Lady Timberwolves wound up with a record of 5-21, 0-6 in District 8-2A.
    "It's frustrating," EMHS senior Maggie Gronewald said. "I think we might have underestimated Menaul. But give those girls credit. They, like, brought it."
    The Panthers edged the T'Wolves 33-31 in their last district regular-season contest on East Mountain's home court at Roosevelt Middle School on Friday. Menaul (5-22) then eliminated the Sandia Park-based charter school 30-23 in a district-tournament first-round game in the Panthers' gym on Monday.
    The Timberwolves took an early 2-0 lead during its final game when Savanna Hands flipped the ball over the front of the rim. But Menaul went on a tear to take an 11-2 lead after the first eight minutes of play.
    Still, with East Mountain's Kalysta Nyquist-Asmussen's improved set shot from the high post starting to fall, EMHS rallied to close to 14-13 by halftime. The freshman and Hands scored eight points each— well below the junior point guard's average— to tie for game-high honors.
    Hands had led Class 2A in scoring with an average of 15.7 points per game, according to last week's Albuquerque Journal prep statistics report.
    The Panthers held a 21-19 lead at the end of the third.
    Nyquist-Asmussen swished another set shot with 7:10 left in the fourth quarter to knot the score at 21. But the T'Wolves didn't connect again until Hands sank two free throws with 26 seconds left.
    "It's just a mystery to me (why her team continues to struggle)," Hands said. "I couldn't tell you why, quite honestly."
    There are some basic reasons, however.
   

Gronewald dribbled and rebounded well, but her shot never really materialized.
   

Hands was a well-rounded player, but at 5-foot-1, she could only do so much.
   

The other girls were all inexperienced underclassmen, still learning to keep their heads up while dribbling, still striving to perfect their shot rather than just hurling the ball at the backboard.
   

In addition, the Timberwolves were short-handed with six girls listed in the score book on Monday.
    But what East Mountain did have was a remarkable team-first mentality.
    "We only lose Maggie," T'Wolves coach Jim Pendergast said. "Everyone else will be back. And our numbers should be better ..."
   
East Mountain boys
    Bosque School beat the visiting Timberwolves 70-29 in a district-tournament first-round game on Tuesday.
    "Wriley Burnett turned his ankle early in the second half, and the game went south on us after that," EMHS coach Wade Swift said. "But we never gave up. We were diving for loose ball until the end.
    "(Tuesday) night wasn't indicative of our team," Swift continued. "I think we've improved."
    Menaul swamped East Mountain 66-37 in their concluding district regular-season game on the Panthers' floor on Friday. Burnett scored 12.
    The T'Wolves are done. They wrapped up the season with a record of 5-20, 0-6.
    "I'm fully intending on (returning next year) ... ," Swift said. "As of right now, I plan to be back."
   
Mountainair girls
    The Lady Mustangs (11-15, 5-3 as of Tuesday) defeated Corona 61-32 in a District 7-1A tournament first-round game at Mountainair on Monday.
    The 'Stangs beat Vaughn 65-26 in the Aguilas' gym on Feb. 21 to terminate the district regular season.
    Mountainair hosted Hondo Valley in the district semifinals late Wednesday.
   
Mountainair boys
    The Mustangs (14-12, 6-2 as of Tuesday) beat Corona 62-31 in a district tourney first-round contest in Mountainair on Monday.
    The 'Stangs defeated Vaughn 59-46 in their last district regular-season contest at the Eagles' place on Feb. 21.
    Mountainair hosted Hondo in the district semis late Wednesday.
   
Manzano girls
    The Lady Monarchs are pretty much out of it.
    No. 10 Highland defeated Manzano 60-46 in a District 5-5A tournament first-round game at the Hornets' gym on Tuesday.
    "We played hard," said Monarchs coach Raul Diaz, who coached the team's last 14 games. "We just didn't do some of the things we were supposed to try to do."
    Though the New Mexico Activities Association picks six Class 5A at-large teams for the state tournament, Manzano's 7-20 record probably will keep the Monarchs from advancing.
    There's always next year.
    "I'm planning to put my name in there, too (to coach again next year)," Diaz said. "I had a lot of fun ... It would be better next year because it would be more organized from the beginning."
    The Monarchs were 2-12 under Diaz and 5-8 with former coach Nick Salazar. Salazar said he was forced to resign.
   
Manzano boys
    The ninth-ranked Monarchs (16-10 as of Tuesday) hosted a district-tournament second-round game late Wednesday.