Texico win away from fourth straight 2A title

RIO RANCHO — There were a few embraces, and some smiles.

But there was no overboard celebration for the Texico Lady Wolverines. They've been there, done that, and hope to do it one more time.

The three-time defending Class 2A champion Lady Wolverines were unchallenged in Friday’s bracket play, and face Tularosa at 10 a.m. today at the Santa Ana Star Center with a fourth title on the line.

“We have six seniors that feel like they’re on a mission,” Texico coach Kristen Scanlan said. “They know they’ve got another one ahead.”

Winners of 20 straight, Texico (23-1) earned another Class 2A bid with a 25-6, 26-8, 25-18 pasting of Rehoboth in the quarterfinals and a 25-17, 25-10, 25-18 victory over Rehoboth in the semifinals.

“I was really pleased with the way we played in both matches,” Scanlan said. “We really had a run with our offense; we definitely were tough on the block.”

Senior Katlin Luscombe had 11 kills to lead Texico against Rehoboth, while senior Victoria Richards added 10.

Texico trailed five times on Thursday — all one-point deficits, and all in the second games of two-game, pool-play matches.

Scanlan said she wasn’t sure if the girls were pressing, but said serve-receive was a key late.

“Rehoboth’s serve-receive plays really deep,” Scanlan said, “and we tried to serve it in the (shallow area) and hit a few short.”

Even if the third games could be called sluggish by comparison, Texico was never seriously challenged.

“We definitely played well as a team,” said senior Amber Odegaard, who had three kills and three digs in the sweep over Rehoboth. “We're all really close, and that helps, and we're very encouraging to each other.”

Jordyn Cooper had eight blocks to lead Texico, while Fallon Scanlan added 28 assists.