NMPreps.com's recap of the 2021 New Mexico high school state championships. #nmpreps
ALBUQUERQUE, NM - The top-ranked Navajo Prep Eagles never trailed in a dominant 63-47 win over sixth-seeded Robertson Friday afternoon in the championship of the 3A New Mexico state tournament. Navajo Prep wins their seventh state championship in school history and repeats as champions after hoisting the blue trophy in 2020. Navajo Prep caps off a perfect 14-0 season in a year where they won every game by double digits.
The Eagles Cienna Harrison (2021) had two threes and TionTai Woods (2021) pitched in five points as the Eagles got off to a hot 11-0 start. "How we end the practice is how we're going to come into the game," said Navajo Prep head coach Rainy Crisp. "I'm really glad these girls had a great practice yesterday and just came in ready to play." The Eagles used the early momentum to cruise to a 23-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Robertson was able to find a rhythm on offense in the second quarter and tied the Eagles 12-12 in the period. Jayden Jenkins (2022) led the way with six first-half points for the Cardinals. Natalia Martinez (2025) gave Robertson a boost of momentum into the halftime break with a corner three at the buzzer and the score was 35-18.
Navajo Prep extended their lead in the third quarter to as many as 22 late and coasted to a 53-33 lead going into the final frame. The Cardinals had a nice fourth quarter cutting the deficit to as little as 12 points. But Navajo Prep was able to hold the Cardinals off the rest of the way and leave The Pit as state champions. TionTai Woods (2021) led the way for the Eagles with 23 points followed by Aiona Johnson (2021) with 13 and Hailey Martin (2021) with 12. "We all pick up off of each other's energy," said Senior Eagles guard TionTai Woods. "It just makes us more confident in our shooting and our defense."Navajo Prep won last year's title game in an empty arena, and Senior Aiona Johnson noticed a difference, "At the end just looking up and seeing my parents, it really hit home. Last year was fun but it definitely wasn't the same as having our families, friends, and supporters here."
Robertson has a bright future as they had no seniors on their roster this year. The Cardinals had six-eight graders on their team this season with two of them in the starting lineup. Jayden Jenkins (2022) was the leading scorer for Robertson Friday with 23 points followed by Alex Pacheco (2025) and Azlyn Padilla (2023) with six points each.
