Two dominant guards in Zaria Gomez and Tessa Jaramillo are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Manzano Monarchs and the Los Lunas Tigers will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 24th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Manzano can finally bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Saturday. They had just enough and edged Shiprock out 37-35. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory Manzano has posted yet this season.
Manzano's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Daira Solis led the charge by scoring 12 points along with five rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Gomez, who scored ten points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Los Lunas put the finishing touches on their fifth blowout victory of the season on Saturday. They took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 50-18 win over Taos. Given Los Lunas' advantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked 28th, while Taos is ranked 99th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Manzano's victory ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-10. As for Los Lunas, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-7.
Manzano didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Los Lunas in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, but they still walked away with a 43-39 victory. Does Manzano have another victory up their sleeve, or will Los Lunas turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
