Zias pick up five signees

PORTALES — Samantha Matta, a 5-foot-7 guard from Roswell High, has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Eastern New Mexico University for next season.

Matta averaged 16.8 points and around three steals and three assists last season for the Lady Coyotes, who went 15-14 and lost in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament.

First-year ENMU women’s coach Linden Weese has now added five players for next season in the early signing period. The others are 6-foot-3 post Kara Bible of Cibola, 5-11 guard-forward Lois Fifer of Tulia, Texas; 6-foot forward Clarisa Krum of Los Lunas and 6-foot forward Taylor Sauer of Hope Christian.

“It’s a great class,” said Weese, whose team opens its season with a 6 p.m. (MST) contest against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Saturday in Goodwell, Okla. “We’ve added some size and speed, and some athletes. That was our purpose in the early signing period.”

Weese said Bible was an all-district and all-academic selection at Cibola, and earned all-star status during the Grass Roots Showcase over the summer in Irvine, Calif. Fifer was all-district her last two seasons at Tulia, averaging 15 points and 19 rebounds a game.

Krum averaged 15 points and 10 boards at Los Lunas last season, earning first-team all-district and honorable mention Class 5A all-state honors.

“Clarisa is a good perimeter shooter with an excellent knowledge of the game,” Weese said.

He added that Sauer should give the Zias additional athleticism. “Taylor is a great athlete and has the potential to develop into a great player for us,” he said.

Weese credited assistant coach Haley White for recruiting a number of the signees last spring.