Basketball Recap: Las Cruces Falls Short Against Ranked Carlsbad

On Saturday, Las Cruces faced Carlsbad in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Las Cruces Bulldawgs were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 28-27 to the Carlsbad Cavemen/Cavegirls. The Bulldawgs were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Cavemen/Cavegirls apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in January of 2024.

Despite the loss, Las Cruces still got an impressive performance from Bethzy Quinones, who went 7 of 14 en route to 16 points and five steals. Quinones is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Sofia Herrera was another key player, putting up seven points.

This is the second loss in a row for Las Cruces and nudges their season record down to 9-6. As for Carlsbad, the win snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 14-5 record.

Las Cruces wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 35-33 defeat against Mayfield on the 20th. As for Carlsbad, they will venture away from home to face off against Lovington at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Lovington will roll in looking for their seventh straight victory, something Carlsbad surely won't give up without a fight.