After finishing 5th in District 2-1A girls basketball, Magdalena slipped into the Class 1A state basketball tournament only to face the state’s No. 2 team Roy/Mosquero. Still, coach Sara Sue Olney had a mission for her team.

Before being selected as the state’s No. 15 seed, Olney said that if the Steers got into the tournament, she knew it would be an uphill battle, so the plan was to enjoy and learn from the experience and have fun.

The reward for getting into the state tournament was a road trip to face Lady Blues (25-2), who went 10-0 in District 5-1A. The result was a 62-21 setback for Magdalena, but the Steers had more than one mission.

“I think the experience was fun and being there and seeing that atmosphere is fun for the girls. The game situation isn’t fun when it ends the way it did because it’s a sad situation, but the progress leading to that and being there was an experience,” Olney said.

The Steers aren’t bucking the Socorro County youth trend when it comes to girls basketball, and more than anything getting into the state tournament was about the future.

“Our takeaway is that it was a good experience for the girls. They need to know what that’s like and get experience when we make it there again next year. We’re a little bit more prepared in all aspects from leaving the school to getting there – to eating and enjoying the process,” Olney said. “We talked about that after the game that for a lot of them, they will get to return, and it’s time to start making some changes of what we do in the off-season to prepare for this battle again next year.”

In the first quarter, Jema Ganadonegro, Elia Cleveland, Kambree Montoya, Jorianne Mirabal and Gerleanzy Ganadonegro kept the game close as Magdalena trailed 16-13.

The Lady Blues picked up their defensive game the rest of the way with a 15-2 run followed by a 22-4 third quarter.

The Steers will lose Irene Martinez, Gerleanzy Ganadonegro and Melody Summers to graduation.

“It’s never fun to lose seniors,” Olney said. “It’s always a sad deal as a coach because that team will never be the same ever again because of the seniors leaving. It’s fun to see that it’s now time for them to go on and do other things, but it’s heartbreaking because you know that some of them have played their last game of basketball for their school or the last time they’ll play with their friends.”

The 2023 Steers include Aliza Apache, Jema Ganadonegro, Lanisha Vicente, Elia Cleveland, Irene Martinez, Kambree Montoya, Jorianne Mirabal, Kaydence LaTasa, Hanna Guerro, Melody Summers, Gerleanzy Ganadonegro.

Russell Huffman | Assistant Editor