State Tournament Finishes

I drove back from Albuquerque this morning and passed Kirtland Central's caravan.

They made sure everyone knew who they were, from the purple-and-gold paper streamers tied to the hitch of a pickup truck to the markings that proclaimed KC's win from every window of every vehicle.

Even the team bus made mention of the school's 18th girls basketball state championship on the back facade.

The team can't have gotten much sleep. I saw a group of Kirtland players and fans walking through the lobby of my hotel at 1:30 a.m., and I left to drive back to Farmington just after 9:30 a.m. this morning.

They deserve to celebrate. I feel like there should be another game for them to play. They never were challenged, even though Española Valley stayed close in the semifinals. It feels as if they should play someone else, maybe 5A champion.

Congratulations to the girls and to coach Charles Kromer.

You may have noticed from my gamers that Amanda Kerr dominated the quotes. Although I like Kerr and think she's a good interview, don't blame me -- the loquacious senior guard had a lot to say and her teammates were shy.

Shiprock appropriately was disappointed. I got the perception that the girls and coach Brady Rivers were just happy to be there after the Lady Chieftains beat Roswell in the semifinals, but if that was the case, they changed their minds by the time the game tipped off.

Expect Shiprock to return to The Pit next year for the 3A state championship game.

Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher