Basketball Recap: West Mesa Falls Despite Big Games from Alize Castillo and Monique Sena

West Mesa lost against Albuquerque back in January of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. The matchup between the West Mesa Mustangs and the Albuquerque Bulldogs didn't end well, with the West Mesa Mustangs falling 56-40. The Mustangs were down 48-25 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

West Mesa's loss came despite strong showings from Monique Sena and Alize Castillo. Sena posted 16 points, while Castillo earned 11 points and five rebounds. That was a full 40% of West Mesa's points, marking the sixth time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points.

Even though they lost, West Mesa smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

Albuquerque found their leader in sophomore Abby Pavia, who went 7 of 12 on her way to 19 points in addition to seven boards and six assists. That's the most points Pavia has posted since back in December of 2024. Lailah Bouldin was another key player, going 6 for 14 to rack up 16 points and three steals.

West Mesa's loss dropped their record down to 13-9. As for Albuquerque, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-4 record this season.

West Mesa wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 51-33 defeat against Los Lunas on the 7th. As for Albuquerque, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 64-19 victory against Atrisco Heritage Academy on the 7th.