Lady Pintos Fall Short in Tight Battle Against Socorro

SOCORRO – In a game that felt like a heavyweight boxing match where the lead traded hands with every punch, the Moriarty Lady Pintos ultimately fell to the Socorro Lady Warriors on Saturday, 41-38. Despite leading at the end of third quarter, Moriarty couldn’t withstand a late surge from Socorro and a mounting tally of turnovers.

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A Tale of Four Quarters

The Lady Pintos came out of the gate with high intensity, jumping to an early 8-1 lead and ending the first quarter up 11-5. However, as the game progressed, the Warriors chipped away at the lead. By halftime, Moriarty held a slim 19-17 advantage, which they stretched to a one-point lead (29-28) heading into the final frame.

Quarter	Moriarty	Socorro
1st Quarter	11	5
2nd Quarter	19	17
3rd Quarter	29	28
Final	38	41

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Coach’s Corner: “A Work in Progress”

Following the game, head coach Jana Baguskis was candid about the team’s current growing pains. While the Pintos showed they can compete with anyone, Baguskis emphasized the need for a full 32-minute performance.

“I tell them all the time… you can’t just win one game. You’ve got to win two, and here you’ve got to win four quarters,” Baguskis said. “We can’t win one and be happy with that. So, we’re a work in progress.”

The Coach pointed specifically to a staggering 39 turnovers as the primary obstacle to victory.

“We can’t win games turning the ball over 39 times a game,” Baguskis noted. “When we’re playing better we’re in the 20s, but still, that’s not great either. We’ve got to take care of the ball.”

Adversity on the Court

The Lady Pintos faced significant hurdles throughout the evening, including foul trouble for key players Laura Stewart and Emma Rose Chavez early on. The situation was further complicated by two injuries during the game, one of which sidelined Emma Quintana.

Before her exit, Quintana was a bright spot for Moriarty, tasked with defending Socorro’s formidable freshman “big girl” in the paint. “Quintana did a good job coming in until she got hurt,” Baguskis said. “She stepped up big and played that big girl really well.”

Looking Toward District

With district play on the horizon, the focus for the Lady Pintos remains on interior presence and confidence. With Abbie Beukelman currently out, the team is looking for more dominance in the post.

“We’ve got to finish inside and be willing to go inside,” Baguskis said. “We’re so very hesitant… when we do, good things happen. We don’t spend enough time shooting to just sit out and hope. We’ve got to make something happen.”

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Box Score

Moriarty Scoring Leaders:

• Angelita Tapia: 11 pts
• Laura Stewart: 10 pts
• Emma Quintana: 6 pts
• Mikayla Ipiotis: 6 pts
• Emma Rose Chavez: 3 pts
• Yarelli Villa: 1 pt
• Marisa Ipiotis: 1 pt
• Beatrice Perea: 1 pt