NMMI Sports Press

The Lady Colt basketball team won their season opener, downing Clovis Christian at home, 43-30.

NMMI got off to a bit of rocky start, allowing the Lady Eagles to go up 4-0 just seconds after tip-off, but came back to take the lead, 12-6 by the end of the first period.

“It was our first game,” said head coach Marisha Olesinski.  “You just don’t know what to expect. We came out a little bit tight, I thought, maybe a little bit nervous. We’ve got a lot of new girls on the team, and they’re trying to get to know each other.”

The Lady Colts extended that led in the second quarter, outscoring Clovis Christian 13-4.

“I was very happy with how we played in the second quarter,” continued Olesinski. “But I think that nervousness came back again after halftime. I’m always telling our players that the third quarter is the most important, so maybe I scared them.”

That third period saw NMMI’s led slip to seven points, as the Lady Eagles went on a 10-2 run.

“The game got a lot closer after that, but we got back to work in the fourth and played well,” said Olesinski.

NMMI’s offense had their most productive period in the fourth, pouring in 16 points, while giving up 10 to the Eagles.

Top scorer for the Lady Colts was junior forward Dee Ulibarri with 14. Freshman shooting guard Rilan Maloney had 10.

Ulibarri and senior center Abigail Valadez tied for the game high in rebounds, each with eight.

 “It’s always good to get a win during your first game of the season. It was a tough game. Clovis Christian played really well, but I like it when we play our offense. We seem to focus more, move the ball better, and end up getting better shots. I don’t like when we play street ball, because then, the chaos: no one knows what to do. We just need to play under control,” said Olesinski.

The Lady Colts won’t get much practice time to figure out how to set up and run that offense: they’ll be off tomorrow, but have another game on Thursday, Nov. 16 at home vs. the Roswell High ‘C’ team at 5:00 P.M.