RIO GRANDE COUNTY – Unafraid to attack from any of the 360 degrees surrounding her at any given moment Friday evening, senior Alyssa Atencio often caught hosting Del Norte by surprise, and kept alive Ignacio girls basketball’s hopes of winning their first game in 2026.
But after going scoreless for the opening 10 minutes and 13 seconds, the Bobcats found themselves in a 12-0 hole, ultimately too deep to emerge from, and fell 50-30 to the Tigers, who led 8-0 after one quarter, 19-10 through two and 36-21 after three.
After receiving an Atencio inbounds pass, junior Maliyah Martinez knocked down a short bank shot, initially getting IHS (1-6 overall) on the scoreboard with 5:47 remaining in the second quarter, but head coach Travis Nanaeto had to use a timeout with 4:55 left after DNHS junior Mackenzie Consaul countered with an easy layup for a 14-2 advantage.
Consecutive unorthodox Atencio runners in the paint brought the guests back to 17-10 with 1:39 to go until intermission, but Ignacio got no closer after Del Norte (3-3 overall) netted the last basket of the half.
Set up by junior Aubree Lucero, Atencio drained a 3-pointer in the third quarter, dinging DNHS’ lead down to 26-15, but moments later Parra answered with an unguarded trey from the far corner. Martinez would also strike once from deep before the quarter’s end, but the Lady Tigers offset it just before the buzzer with one by Gallegos.
Atencio added one more two-pointer, giving her a game-high 15 points.
Parra totaled 14 points to pace the Tigers, and Mackenzie Consaul totaled 10.
Ignacio will host 2A Sargent on Tuesday.
RESCHEDULED: Due to wintry road conditions on Friday, 4A Aztec’s slated trip to 3A Bayfield (2-4 overall) on the 9th was postponed until 5:45 p.m. Monday.
