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Texico girls fall short in semis

RIO RANCHO — As a freshman, Brianna Reyna has helped carry the Texico Lady Wolverines during a season in which they were essentially rebuilding.

Reyna scored 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds — one more than the entire Navajo Pine team — in Thursday's Class 2A girls state semifinal, enough to keep the Lady Wolverines in the hunt.

Coach Richard Luscombe wasn't about to blame her for a late-game turnover that sealed Texico's fate in a 51-49 loss to the Lady Warriors at Santa Ana Star Center.

"I never envisioned her having to step up and take as much a role as she has," Luscombe said of Reyna, who averaged around 20 points this season. "We kind of live and die sometimes with freshmen, but she's done so many good things."

The teams were meeting for the fourth year in a row at state, only this was the first time it wasn't for the championship. The third-seeded Lady Warriors (26-4), whose title in 2011 was bracketed by Texico crowns in the other two years, face top-seeded Laguna Acoma in today's 5:30 p.m. final at The Pit in Albuquerque after the Lady Hawks blasted Clayton 65-32 on Thursday.

Demetria Clichee, one of four senior starters for the Lady Warriors, poured in 18 points, including 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Senior guard Kaitlin Chee added 15.

Navajo Pine coach Aretha Mariano maintained that the Lady Warriors weren't looking for payback after last year's 71-38 championship drubbing.

"It's not revenge on our part," she said. "You can't have revenge on a team that's not there anymore."

Texico (21-8) was hard-hit by graduation last year, then lost senior post Shaylee Anderson to a knee injury in December and top sub Sarah Daniels to the same fate later in the season.

Then Thursday, junior guard Shelby Vannatta, the first player off the bench, went down with a knee injury late in the half.

"It's been one thing after another," Luscombe said. "For these kids to be where they are and to have gone through what they have, it's quite an accomplishment."

Navajo Pine led by 10 late in the first half, but Texico went on a 13-2 run bridging halftime for a 31-30 lead on senior guard Mel Lucero's 3-pointer.

Clichee and Chee followed with back-to-back 3s, but the Lady Wolverines battled back to tie it twice before senior McKenzi Mayfield hit two free throws for a 49-48 lead with 1:10 left.

Navajo Pine's Krisha Artieda then flipped up a running shot off the right baseline and it rolled in with 50 seconds left.

"We played good defense at the end," Luscombe said. "She just made a tough shot."

Artieda wasn't about to claim she planned it that way. "It worked," she said.

After a held-ball turnover, Chee's free throw made it a two-point game and Texico called timeout with 16 seconds left.

Reyna got the ball to the left of the key and tried to find a teammate in the middle, but the pass was stolen and Navajo Pine essentially ran out the final seconds.