BULLDOG BASKETBALL

PICTURED: Jack Byers puts back an offensive board for two during Artesia's game Feb. 4 against Portales at Bulldog Pit.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

Three down, three to go.

The Bulldog basketball team capped off its unbeaten run through the first round of District 4-AAAA play Friday at Bulldog Pit, putting together four strong quarters of basketball en route to a 67-48 win over Goddard.

The Runnin' 'Dogs were consistent on offense, aggressive on defense, and kept turnovers low in the contest, leading the Rockets by nine at the half on the legs of a big second quarter before pulling away for good in the final 16 minutes.

Following a layup off the opening tip by Charlie Campbell, the Artesia boys were able to go up 8-3 on a 6-0 run that included a Braylon Vega trey, 1-2 from the line by Trent Egeland, and a Clay Kincaid putback of the missed free throw. The Rockets would answer in kind, however, to go up 9-8 with three minutes to go and bumped their lead to 12-8 on Isaiah Mestas' second three of the quarter. But a Kincaid slam dunk, another trifecta from Vega, and a last-second longball from Campbell made it 16-14 'Dogs going into the second.

Vega would put down three more treys in that period as the Bulldogs spread their other field goals around between Egeland, Campbell, Kincaid and Tootie McNeil, but Goddard was able to keep their deficit under double digits with three more three-pointers of their own. A McNeil putback at the buzzer set the halftime tally: 36-27.

The 'Dogs put on a stifling defensive display in the third, holding the Rockets to just five points while posting 13 of their own, including consecutive baskets by Egeland, Vega, Campbell and Kincaid and a pair of late offensive putbacks by Jack Byers, the first coming with a successful and-one attached. That gave the boys in orange a 17-point cushion going into the fourth, 49-32, and they'd close out strong from there.

The final quarter would've been another lopsided one in terms of scoring had Goddard not drained four more three's. The Rockets ultimately outshot their regular field goals on the night with makes from beyond the arc, nine to eight. Vega, meanwhile, added one more trey to his game-high six in the period and Campbell threw down his first dunk of the season as the Bulldogs cruised to the 67-48 final.

Vega and Campbell took top-scoring honors for the 'Dogs (15-7, 3-0) with 22 and 15, respectively, while Mestas finished with 12 for the Rockets (9-13, 1-2).

The Class 4A top-ranked Bulldogs now sit in the driver's seat heading into Round Two of D4 play, which they'll open at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, against Lovington (14-9) at Bulldog Pit. The Wildcats, Portales and Goddard all stand at 1-2 after Round One, with Portales having most recently fallen to Lovington 79-46. Friday's games -- which also include the Lady Bulldogs tipping off at 5:30 p.m. against the Lady 'Cats -- will mark Artesia's final regular district home games, so fans are encouraged to Pack the Pit! Tickets are on sale now.

STAT BOX

Artesia 67
Goddard 48

Artesia (15-7, 3-0): Braylon Vega 7, 2-2 22; Charlie Campbell 6, 2-2 15; Trent Egeland 4, 1-2 9; Clay Kincaid 4, 1-4 9; Jack Byers 2, 2-3 6; Jace Deans 0, 2-2 2; Cael Houghtaling 1, 0-0 2; Tootie McNeil 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 25, 10-15 67

Goddard (9-13, 1-2): Isaiah Mestas 4, 1-2 12; Ezekiel Burrola 3, 0-0 8; Josiah Castillo 3, 0-0 8; Joaquin Sanchez 2, 2-2 6; Eli Barncastle 2, 0-0 5; Kyle Mesquita 1, 2-3 4; Ayden Luck 1, 0-0 3; Phillip Lopez 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 17, 5-7 48

Field Goals: Artesia 25; Goddard 17
Three-Pointers: Artesia 7 (Vega 6, Campbell 1); Goddard 9 (Mestas 3, Burrola 2, Castillo 2, Barncastle 1, Luck 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 10-15 (67%); Goddard 5-7 (71%)
Turnovers: Artesia 16; Goddard 11
Fouls: Artesia 7; Goddard 18
Fouled Out: None

LADY BULLDOG BASKETBALL

PICTURED: Ashton Craft looks for an outlet during Artesia's game Feb. 4 against Portales at Bulldog Pit.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

Down by 14 points to Class 4A No. 10 Goddard going into the fourth quarter Friday at Bulldog Pit, the Lady Bulldogs could've let their frustrations get the better of them. Instead, as is their hallmark, they fought back.

It started with six unanswered in the fourth: a drive to the hoop by Kailee Padilla, a Gracen Kuykendall bucket off the dish from Ashton Craft, a strong move in the paint by Hattie Harrison. Midway through the quarter, Craft hit a clutch three and followed it up with a running jumper, and just like that, the Lady 'Dogs were within six, 44-38.

With Goddard doing their best to stall out the clock, Jenna Whitmire hit a turnaround J at the 2:23 mark, then followed it up with a breakaway layup off the steal at 1:30 to bring Artesia a shot away from a tie, 45-42. The Lady Rockets were able to get off a basket before the Lady Bulldogs were forced to start fouling, and Goddard's Carmen Grado went 2-4 in the final minute of play. In between, however, Padilla hit two from the stripe and Whitmire another jumper to keep the Lady 'Dogs within three, 49-46. A bucket by Harrison with six seconds to go made that deficit one, but unfortunately, time ran out on Artesia's comeback effort from there, 49-48.

The ultimate damage had been done back in the opening quarter, where the Lady Bulldogs were able to manage just two points to Goddard's 13. They'd shake off their shooting woes in the second on a pair of buckets each from Padilla and Whitmire, but the Lady Rockets put up four from beyond the arc to lead 27-13 at the break. That margin remained with even scoring in the third, as the Lady 'Dogs got five points from Harrison, a Whitmire old-fashioned three-point play, a Padilla layup, and a Craft three to set up the dramatic fourth.

Padilla and Whitmire both finished with 13 points for the Lady Bulldogs.

The Artesia girls (9-13, 1-2) will now prepare to join the Bulldogs in hosting Lovington Friday, Feb. 14, at Bulldog Pit in their final regular home district game of the season. Through one round of District 4-AAAA play, Portales (13-9) leads with a record of 3-0, while Lovington and Goddard also stand at 1-2. The Artesia girls are slated to tip off at 5:30 p.m. Friday, followed by the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.

STAT BOX

Goddard 49
Artesia 48

Artesia (9-13, 1-2): Kailee Padilla 5, 3-4 13; Jenna Whitmire 6, 1-1 13; Ashton Craft 4, 1-2 11; Hattie Harrison 4, 1-2 9; Gracen Kuykendall 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 20, 6-9 48

Goddard (13-10, 1-2): Jazmin DeLeon 7, 0-0 16; Aubrie Bolanos 5, 0-0 13; Adyson Harral 4, 0-0 11; Carmen Grado 1, 2-4 4; Keauna Thomas 2, 0-0 4; Natalie Hardwick 0, 1-2 1
Totals: 19, 3-6 49

Field Goals: Artesia 20; Goddard 19
Three-Pointers: Artesia 2 (Craft 2); Goddard 8 (Bolanos 3, Harral 3, DeLeon 2)
Free Throws: Artesia 6-9 (67%); Goddard 3-6 (50%)
Turnovers: Artesia 14; Goddard 13
Fouls: Artesia 9; Goddard 16
Fouled Out: None

AHS SWIMMING

PICTURED: The Bulldog and Lady Bulldog swim teams pose with their first- and second-place trophies following the District 3-4 Meet in Hobbs.
(Photos Courtesy Andrea Ciro)

The Artesia High School swim teams headed home from Hobbs Saturday with some significant hardware and history in tow.

Competing against fields that included Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Centennial, Clovis, Gateway Christian, Hobbs, Las Cruces High, Lovington, Mayfield and NMMI, the Bulldog swimmers claimed Artesia's first-ever boys' District 3-4 crown by 14 points over second-place Hobbs, while the Lady Bulldogs finished as this year's D3-4 runners-up behind Clovis.

The Bulldogs and Lady 'Dogs racked up a number of individual district championships as well, with the girls' 200-yard medley relay team of Johanna Padilla, Ann Greenwood, Addisyn Hartman and Sarah Plotner touching the wall first in the day's first swim. They were joined atop the podium by the boys' 200 medley relay team of Layton Whitmire, Eli DeHoyos, Aidan Ciro and Andree Bautista; Whitmire in the boys' 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke; Greenwood in the girls' 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly; Ciro in the boys' 200 IM and 100 butterfly; Bautista in the boys' 50 freestyle; DeHoyos in the boys' 100 freestyle; and Morgan Fisher in the girls' 100 breaststroke.

Head coach Andrea Ciro reported that Aidan Ciro's title-winning swim in the 200 IM also broke a nine-year-old school record, and he came a few tenths away from another record in the 100 butterfly. Whitmire also broke a school record with his top swim in the 200 freestyle, as did Greenwood in the girls' 200 IM and the girls' 200 medley relay team.

The AHS swimmers will now have two weeks to prep for the State Meet, set for Feb. 21-22 at Albuquerque Academy.

"The swimmers are going into the state championships with great seed times and will be top-three and top-eight medal contenders in all of their events!" said Ciro.

State-qualifying times earned at the district meet included:

• Girls' 200-Yard Medley Relay
- Artesia "A" (Johanna Padilla, Ann Greenwood, Addisyn Hartman, Sarah Plotner)
1st, 1:52.88
• Boys' 200 Medley Relay
- Artesia "A" (Layton Whitmire, Eli DeHoyos, Aidan Ciro, Andree Bautista)
1st, 1:41.90
• Girls' 200 Freestyle
- Sarah Plotner, 3rd, 2:05.56
• Boys' 200 Freestyle
- Layton Whitmire, 1st, 1:50.44
• Girls' 200 Individual Medley
- Ann Greenwood, 1st, 2:13.77
- Morgan Fisher, 7th, 2:28.58
• Boys' 200 IM
- Aidan Ciro, 1st, 2:00.07
• Girls' 50 Freestyle
- Addisyn Hartman, 4th, 26.39
• Boys' 50 Freestyle
- Andree Bautista, 1st, 23.61
• Girls' 100 Butterfly
- Ann Greenwood, 1st, 59.51
• Boys' 100 Butterfly
- Aidan Ciro, 1st, 51.74
• Girls' 100 Freestyle
- Addisyn Hartman, 4th, 57.54
• Boys' 100 Freestyle
- Eli DeHoyos, 1st, 49.98
• Girls' 500 Freestyle
- Sarah Plotner, 3rd, 5:43.73
• Girls' 100 Backstroke
- Johanna Padilla, 3rd, 1:04.71
• Boys' 100 Backstroke
- Layton Whitmire, 1st, 57.46
• Girls' 100 Breaststroke
- Morgan Fisher, 1st, 1:12.59
• Boys' 100 Breaststroke
- Eli DeHoyos, 2nd, 1:01.53
• Girls' 400 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (Addisyn Hartman, Johanna Padilla, Sarah Plotner, Ann Greenwood)
2nd, 3:52.95
• Boys' 400 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (Andree Bautista, Dylan Florez, Javier Rodriguez, Alec Ciro)
2nd, 3:45.65

All other district finishes included:

• Girls' 200 Freestyle
- Anikah Wisen, 5th, 2:15.77
- Ella Thomas, 15th, 2:53.39
• Boys' 200 Freestyle
- Javier Rodriguez, 7th, 2:08.02
• Girls' 50 Freestyle
- Amanda Murphy, 18th, 31.45
- Tynlee Whitmire, 23rd, 33.48
- Evelyn Yeager, 30th, 40.54
• Boys' 50 Freestyle
- Dylan Florez, 9th, 25.52
- Chaz Rogers, 17th, 27.10
• Girls' 100 Butterfly
- Johanna Padilla, 6th, 1:07.60
- Evelyn Yeager, 15th, 2:16.98
• Boys' 100 Butterfly
- Javier Rodriguez, 9th, 1:04.20
• Girls' 100 Freestyle
- Anikah Wisen, 7th, 1:01.24
- London Acosta, 12th, 1:04.44
- Amanda Murphy, 22nd, 1:17.33
• Boys' 100 Freestyle
- Chaz Rogers, 10th, 1:00.78
• Girls' 500 Freestyle
- Carly DeHoyos, 7th, 6:32.84
• Boys' 500 Freestyle
- Alec Ciro, 8th, 6:03.08
• Girls' 200 Freestyle Relay
- Artesia "A" (London Acosta, Carly DeHoyos, Morgan Fisher, Anikah Wisen)
4th, 1:56.79
• Girls' 100 Backstroke
- London Acosta, 11th, 1:22.46
- Tynlee Whitmire, 15th, 1:27.11
- Ella Thomas, 19th, 1:39.74
• Boys' 100 Backstroke
- Alec Ciro, 6th, 1:08.26
• Girls' 100 Breaststroke
- Carly DeHoyos, 6th, 1:21.74
• Boys' 100 Breaststroke
- Dylan Florez, 3rd, 1:13.40