The Artesia Lady Dogs fell to the number four ranked Hope Christian Huskies 62-48 in the New Mexico State Class 4A quarterfinals today in Albuquerque. The Lady Dogs ended their season with a 19-9 overall record.
“It was a difficult game,” said head coach Jeff Houghtaling. “We had a hard time finding a rhythm early and that cost us a gap we couldn’t close. The girls played extremely hard and fought back in the second half. To cut the lead to four points was big. We just couldn’t turn the corner in the fourth quarter. This was an amazing season with amazing young ladies. Success is not always measured just on a scoreboard, and we will look back and say this was a hugely successful season and we are proud of our girls. This group grew in every area of character. Discipline, hard work, focus, and team chemistry made this team special.”
Scoring at the end of each quarter was as follows: 19-9, 32-21, 43-35 and 62-48. Full court man to man pressing in the third and fourth quarter brought the Lady Dogs to within 4 points at one point in the fourth quarter.
Final stats for the Lady Dogs: Audrey Velo 1 point, 2 rebounds, 1 assist; Kailee Padilla 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist; Koda Beltran 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals; Hattie Harrison 9 points, 4 rebounds; Jenna Whitmire 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal; Kymber Beltran 7 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists; Lorin Wagner 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal.
Final scoring for the Huskies: Kathleen Obisike 17 points, 14 rebounds; Alyssa Vigil 15 points; Zoe Mangrum 8 points; Charlotte Bitsoih 13 points; Mia Bishop 8; and Brookelynne Macias 1 point.
The 2022-23 Lady Dogs were the first Artesia girls basketball team to win the district regular season play 6-0. Next season will provide more exciting basketball as the Lady Dogs lose only two seniors: Koda Beltran and Audrey Velo. Koda and Audrey provided great leadership this season and were amazing examples of dedication to their sport.
Congrats to the Lady Dogs on a great season!
Photo provided by Pam Houghtaling.
