The Los Lunas Lady Tigers had little problem dispatching No. 16 seed St. Pius in the first round of the state playoffs on Friday night, winning 56-39 to kick off their quest for a third straight state championship.
The Sartans (14-14) never provided much of a threat to the Tigers who led comfortably for nearly the entire game.
A 20 point second quarter was the spark that pushed the Tigers lead into double digits and they never looked back.
Defensively, they limited the Sartans to only 13 first half points, taking a 31-13 lead into the break.
SPXHS got the offense going a little more after the half, equaling their first half total in the the third quarter, but were unable to slow down Los Lunas enough to make any real progress cutting into the lead.
This was the fourth meeting between the two teams this season, with Los Lunas winning all four by double digits.
LLHS will take on No. 9 seed Bloomfield in the quarterfinals at 3 p.m. on Tuesday inside Dreamstyle Arena.
The Bobcats prevailed over Espanola Valley 48-44 in the first round.
The teams have already met twice this season, with the Tigers taking both matchups. LLHS won at home 64-37 in early December and then again, 52-42 on a neutral court as part of the Hope Christian Tournament.
694
December 1, 2023
