Capital Highs School, Selena Gonzalez #3 dribbles past Centennial , Brooklyn Caldarazzo, #32 during the third quarter of their game during the Capital City Invitational basketball tournament at Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium on Friday, December 12, 2013. Jane Phillips/The New Mexican
Capital Highs School, Adriana Ochoa #14 dribbles past Centennial , Megan Park #41 during the third quarter of their game during the Capital City Invitational basketball tournament at Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium on Friday, December 12, 2013. Jane Phillips/The New Mexican
Capital High School’s Selena Gonzalez, right, dribbles past Centennial’s Brooklyn Caldarazzo during the Capital City Invitational basketball tournament on Thursday at Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium. To see more photos, go to tinyurl.com/lzztzrh. Jane Phillips/The New Mexican
Capital Highs School, Selena Gonzalez #3 dribbles past Centennial , Brooklyn Caldarazzo, #32 during the third quarter of their game during the Capital City Invitational basketball tournament at Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium on Friday, December 12, 2013. Jane Phillips/The New Mexican
Capital Highs School, Adriana Ochoa #14 dribbles past Centennial , Megan Park #41 during the third quarter of their game during the Capital City Invitational basketball tournament at Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium on Friday, December 12, 2013. Jane Phillips/The New Mexican
The Capital girls basketball team looked very similar to the way it did in the Thomas Montoya era, but there was something a little different about it on Thursday afternoon.
In his first game with the Lady Jaguars since being named the interim head coach for the ousted Montoya, Bryan Mirabal was on the bench as Capital lost 62-35 to Las Cruces Centennial in the first round of the Capital City Tournament at Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium. The Lady Hawks (3-2) will play Santa Fe High Friday night in the semifinals at 5:30, leaving the Lady Jaguars (0-6) to face Las Vegas Robertson at 11 a.m.
Mirabal and the rest of the Lady Jaguars got off to a rough start as they only managed four points in the first quarter and were down 35-13 at halftime. They were able to cut the Centennial lead to 15 midway through the fourth quarter.
“There were times when we did make stops on defense, but then we didn’t rebound or we would turn it over and [Centennial] would get easy shots,” Mirabal said. “We had one day of practice and the girls are going through a difficult time.”
That difficult time Mirabal is referring to is the loss of Montoya, who was relieved of his duties on Tuesday. A mere 48 hours later, the Lady Jaguars had to play for someone else.
“It’s tough because we had a good connection with coach [Montoya], but yet we’re really glad and appreciative with the way Bryan stepped up the way he did,” Capital senior guard Adriana Ochoa said. “He’s willing to teach us and work with us. We’ve always been taught to respect our coaches, so we respect him and we try to keep an open mind with what he has to say to us.”
The Lady Jaguars are starting to embrace Mirabal, but the transition did not go over smoothly for some of the players who were shaken by Montoya’s firing.
“Some of us were really angry and we wanted to fight it, but I think now we’re just going to let things happen the way they’re supposed to happen and we’re going to give coach Bryan a chance and we’ll go from there,” Ochoa said.
Although the Lady Jaguars suffered their seventh consecutive loss spanning back to last season, the 35 points they put on Centennial is the most they have scored all year, and that’s good enough for them.
“We don’t want to keep losing, but if we’re improving, that’s winning for us,” Ochoa said.
Mirabal may have started his coaching career with a loss, but this one is different than the those that he’s used to.
“I don’t believe in moral victories, but this is kind of a moral victory,” he said.
Kayla Rehders led the Lady Jaguars with eight points while Rylee Meloy had 13 to lead Centennial.
Santa Fe High 77, Las Vegas Robertson 44
Santa Fe High head coach Elmer Chavez made his players do a lot of conditioning this week, and it paid off as the Demonettes were able to score 49 points in the first half thanks to a speedy transition game.
“I keep telling the girls that the ball shouldn’t even touch the floor,” Chavez said. “Keep moving the ball upcourt, pass the ball, look inside and we’ll get layups.”
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage led the Demonettes (5-1) with 17 points while Kayla Herrera added 15. Amber Yara and Abbey Bradley both had 13 points to lead the Lady Cardinals (0-1).
Belen 54, West Las Vegas 37
The Lady Dons had a hard time defending Mariah Forde, who scored 26 points to lead the Lady Eagles to their fourth consecutive win. Belen will face St. Michael’s in the semifinals today at 2 while the Lady Dons play the Santa Fe High junior varsity at 8 a.m.
Deanna Bustos led West Las Vegas (3-2) with 15 points while Rayna Trujillo chipped in 8.
St. Michael’s 52, Santa Fe High JV 21
Alex Groenewold scored 14 points to lead the Lady Horsemen (3-2) past the young Demonettes, who only managed four points in the first half but outscored St. Michael’s 12-11 in the fourth quarter.
The Demonettes will continue to get more upper-level experience as they will face two more varsity opponents in the tournament.
