ALBUQUERQUE, THE PIT – Greg Slover and the No. 1 Tatum Lady Coyotes are once again girls' basketball champions. The Lady Coyotes and the Pecos Panthers battled from start to finish, with Tatum edging Pecos 57-53 to claim the 2A crown.

Briana Bustos put Pecos on the board first, but Sydni Rice promptly tied the game at 2 moments later. The teams went back and forth throughout the opening quarter, and a Kolbi Henard jumper gave Tatum an 11-6 lead with 1:03 left. Pecos responded by scoring the final four points of the quarter, cutting the deficit to 11-10 heading into the second.

Pecos then reeled off 10 consecutive points to take a 24-14 lead, fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Bustos and four points from Abrielle Zamora. Avery Henard ended the run with a free throw, and Naomi Garcia followed with a jumper, sparking a 9-1 Tatum surge to close the quarter. At halftime, Pecos held a slim 25-23 lead.

In the third quarter, the Lady Panthers went ice-cold from the field, shooting just 3-for-11. Extending back to the end of the second quarter, they endured a 1-for-15 shooting slump. This allowed the Lady Coyotes to rally, taking a 34-28 lead with 3:15 remaining. Tatum stretched its advantage to 37-31, but Natalia Stout’s three-pointer in the closing seconds cut the deficit to 37-34 entering the fourth quarter.

Tatum opened the final period with an 8-3 run to extend its lead to 45-37. From there, the Lady Coyotes sealed the victory with a flawless 6-for-6 performance from the free-throw line, securing the program’s fifth blue trophy.

Louann Villasenor led Tatum with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Avery Henard contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds. Rice added 13 points. For Pecos, Stout posted a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Bustos chipped in 13 points.

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