PREVIOUS WINTER SPORTS WRAPS
• Advanced bowlers close out perfect regular season; hoops teams split district openers; swimmers finish first, second at Artesia Invite; wrestlers split district finale; cheer wins big at NMSU
• AHS basketball closes out regular season; JV wrestlers attack the mat at Oil Patch Invite
• Basketball teams finish first, fourth at Hope Christian; wrestling, bowling shine in home events
• Hoops teams sweep Eddy County War Part II; swimming, wrestling, bowling, cheerleading start 2026 on high note
• Runnin' 'Dogs finish third in Hobbs Holiday Tournament; Lady Bulldogs kick off new year with 4A win
• Hoops teams pick up pre-holiday wins; swimmers racking up state qualifications; wrestling starts season strong; bowlers back on track for big year
• Fall sports go out with a bang as hoops season kicks off with City of Champions Classic

BULLDOG BASKETBALL

PICTURED: The Bulldog basketball team lines up prior to their Jan. 30 game against Lovington at Bulldog Pit.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

District 4-AAAA: vs. Portales

A loss is always a lesson. Some, however, are more painful than others. The one the Bulldog basketball team suffered Feb. 3 in Portales was just about as painful as they come.

Letting a scrappy team hang around is perpetually dangerous, but the Rams had done more than just lurk. With the help of a trio of three-pointers in the second and a low-scoring quarter from the 'Dogs, the boys in red rode the energy in their raucous home gym to a 36-27 lead at the half, which Artesia had just managed to reverse in the third, 45-44. That set up a showdown in the final eight minutes, and while the Bulldogs did just enough, even that doesn't cut it when luck enters the chat.

Trent Egeland traded buckets with Portales' Aiden Mestas to kick off the fourth, and a three by junior guard La'Trell Long was answered immediately by Charlie Campbell to keep the 'Dogs in front by one, 50-49, as the contest fell under six minutes. From there, however, Artesia found a spark in the paint, with Campbell thrice dishing the ball to 6'8" center Clay Kincaid -- once for a dunk -- to give the Bulldogs their first real cushion of the night, 56-49. A Pierce Culpepper offensive putback for the Rams, however, after four consecutive boards and another basket from Mestas brought Portales right back within a shot, 56-53, by the three-minute mark.

A putback from Kincaid and a shot off the glass by Campbell on an inbound pass under the basket sandwiched a drive to the hoop from Long to bump the 'Dogs' lead back to five, 60-55, but Long's second three of the quarter cut that back to two with 1:26 to go. And following a free throw by Campbell, Mestas would hit from long as well -- to that point, Portales' eighth of the night from beyond the arc -- to know the game at 61-all with just 45 seconds remaining. The decibel level at the Ram Athletic Center reached a fever pitch when the Bulldogs turned the ball over 12 ticks later, and though Portales began stalling in hopes of the final shot, a miss gave the ball back to the boys in orange, and Kincaid put back his own miss for what should have been the game-winner.

The Rams didn't have time to get further than a quarter of the way up the court -- but as fate would have it, that would do. Mestas launched the desperation bid skyward, and the RAC exploded as it found its mark. And although there was some debate among the officials as to whether he'd gotten the shot off in time, the basket counted and the Rams snatched victory from the jaws of the Bulldogs, 64-63.

In a one-point defeat, literally anything could have prevented the outcome in retrospect. But most detrimental to the 'Dogs' cause had been a second quarter that saw them outscored 21-10. Five points apiece by Egeland and Braylon Vega and four from Kincaid in the first had helped see Artesia to a 17-15 lead despite a solid showing in the paint by the 6'7" Culpepper. But Mestas, Long and Pat Alvarado would all hit from long in the second, and although Campbell drained a pair of his own, the 'Dogs were only able to add a shot off the glass and a dunk from Kincaid to that as Portales took advantage of seven turnovers by Artesia to create fast-break layups and open jumpers en route to their 36-27 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs were able to hold the Rams to just eight points in the third, using 11 from Campbell and six from Vega to regain the lead, 45-41. But with 1:10 to go in that period, Culpepper hit a three, and Artesia was unable to answer in the final 70 seconds, keeping their lead at a tenuous one going into the fateful fourth.

Campbell led all scorers on the bout with 26, followed by Kincaid with 20, and Long finished with 23 for the Rams. Artesia was 6-12 from the free-throw line on the night to Portales' 7-10 and had four fewer three-pointers than the Rams, 5-9, with all five coming courtesy of Campbell. Having inexplicably already dropped to second in Class 4A behind Highland despite a big win over 5A ranked Hobbs and a rout of Lovington in their District 4-AAAA opener, the Bulldogs also dropped to 16-5 on the season, 1-1 in D4 play.

STAT BOX

Portales 64
Artesia 63

Artesia (16-5, 1-1): Charlie Campbell 10, 1-2 26; Clay Kincaid 10, 0-0 20; Braylon Vega 3, 3-4 9; Trent Egeland 3, 1-2 7; Corbyn Dominguez 0, 1-2 1; Jack Byers 0, 0-2 0
Totals: 26, 6-12 63

Portales (10-10, 2-0): La'Trell Long 8, 3-4 23; Aiden Mestas 7, 1-2 17; Pierce Culpepper 5, 3-4 14; Pat Alvarado 1, 0-0 3; Ramiro Flores 1, 0-0 3; Jacoby Bamforth 1, 0-0 2; Ethan Crawford 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 24, 7-10 64

Field Goals: Artesia 26; Portales 24
Three-Pointers: Artesia 5 (Campbell); Portales 9 (Long 4, Mestas 2, Alvarado 1, Culpepper 1, Flores 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 6-12 (50%); Portales 7-10 (70%)
Turnovers: Artesia 16; Portales 6
Fouls: Artesia 11; Portales 17
Fouled Out: Artesia 0; Portales 1 (Alvarado, 2:08-4Q)

District 4-AAAA: vs. Goddard

PICTURED: Braylon Vega (14) sails in for a layup to put Artesia up 53-45 late in the fourth against Goddard at Ground Zero.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

What the Runnin' 'Dogs needed following their heartbreaker of a loss to Portales was a big win to close out the first round of District 4-AAAA play. And although the Goddard Rockets -- itching to shake up the district themselves -- gave them a run for their money through three quarters, the boys in orange brought the hammer down in the end, outscoring the Rockets 24-10 in the fourth for a 56-48 victory.

Yet another athlete named Mestas -- this time Goddard's senior guard Isaiah -- proved to be a thorn in Artesia's side Feb. 6 at Ground Zero. Mestas opened the contest with a pair of layups and a trey that, combined with a three-pointer from Grady Munson, put the Rockets up 10-3 early, with the 'Dogs having scored on a Braylon Vega longball immediately following Munson's. A 3-4 showing from the free-throw line and a trey by Charlie Campbell, however, and a Clay Kincaid offensive putback pulled the Bulldogs back within one, 12-11. They'd then close out the period with a Cael Houghtaling free throw and two more from Campbell on a technical foul in the final seconds that bumped the 'Dogs into the lead, 14-12.

Scoring would come at a premium for Artesia in the second, however. Two quick buckets from Kincaid and Campbell were answered by a Josiah Castillo old-fashioned three-point play, and a Kincaid free throw at the five-minute mark was followed by a scoring drought for the 'Dogs. In between, jumpers by Mestas and Jordan Chavez and a trifecta by the latter put Goddard back in front, 22-19. Vega tied it up with 2:13 to go in the half with a trey of his own, but the Rockets would run out the majority of the remaining time, getting two from the stripe by Mestas with 53 seconds to go to lead 24-22 at intermission.

PICTURED: Charlie Campbell (3) hits a trey late in the first quarter.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

The Rockets came out firing for the third, sandwiching baskets from Egeland and Vega with three quick three-pointers -- two from Castillo and one by Munson. Castillo added an and-one a well to put Goddard up by 10, 36-26, midway through the quarter. The Bulldogs would step up their defense, holding the Rockets to a Mestas baseline jumper from there, as a pair from the line by Campbell and consecutive offensive putbacks from Egeland and Houghtaling made the 'Dogs' deficit six, 38-32, heading into the fourth.

There, Artesia's continued quick defense forced five Rocket turnovers and helped hold Goddard scoreless through the first five minutes and 15 seconds of the final period. In the interim, the 'Dogs were able to build a 10-point advantage of their own with help from 10 points by Vega and four from Kincaid. The Rockets were by no means going down without a fight, getting back-to-back three's from Mestas to slash the gap to four, 49-45, with 1:35 still to go. Four clutch free throws by Campbell, however, and a breakaway layup by Vega on a Campbell steal reinstated the 10-point cushion with 16 seconds remaining. And although Munson would drop one final three bomb for the boys in blue, time was on Artesia's side in the 56-48 win.

Vega was high point in the contest with 21, followed by Campbell, who scored 11 of his points from the line on the night, with 16. The Rockets got 19 from Mestas. The win put the Bulldogs back on the plus side in the district at 2-1 (17-5 overall), while the Rockets dropped to 10-12, 1-2. Elsewhere, last-place Lovington was busy defeating Portales, 75-69, to put the Rams in a 2-1 tie for the lead with Artesia.

STAT BOX

Artesia 56
Goddard 48

Artesia (17-5, 2-1): Braylon Vega 8, 2-3 21; Charlie Campbell 2, 11-12 16; Clay Kincaid 4, 1-2 9; Trent Egeland 2, 1-2 5; Cael Houghtaling 1, 3-6 5
Totals: 17, 18-25 56

Goddard (10-12, 1-2): Isaiah Mestas 7, 2-2 19; Josiah Castillo 4, 2-2 12; Grady Munson 2, 1-2 7; Jordan Chavez 2, 0-0 5; Kyle Mesquita 1, 0-0 3; Eli Barncastle 1, 0-0 2
Totals: 17, 5-6 48

Field Goals: Artesia 17; Goddard 17
Three-Pointers: Artesia 4 (Vega 3, Campbell 1); Goddard 9 (Mestas 3, Castillo 2, Munson 2, Chavez 1, Mesquita 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 18-25 (72%); Goddard 5-6 (83%)
Turnovers: Artesia 4; Goddard 12
Fouls: Artesia 10; Goddard 15
Fouled Out: Artesia 0; Goddard 1 (Barncastle, 1:27-4Q)

LADY BULLDOG BASKETBALL

PICTURED: The Lady Bulldog basketball team gathers around head coach Candace Pollard during a time-out Jan. 30 at Bulldog Pit.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

District 4-AAAA: vs. Portales

The Lady Bulldog basketball team tumbled into an early hole and was never able to clamber its way back out Feb. 3 on the road at Portales' notoriously hostile home gym. And though the final three quarters of play between the two squads would be fairly evenly matched, the Ramettes 21-11 head start proved all the difference they needed in a 63-42 win over the girls in orange.

It was Artesia that had jumped out to an early lead in the contest, with Avery Frederick hitting a baseline jumper off the tip and Ashton Craft adding a three-pointer at the 5:21 mark. But Portales was able to recover and take the lead on a pair of buckets from senior Molly Ainsworth and two from the free-throw line by Lissette Gomez. And after a shot in the paint by Frederick off the pass from Jenna Whitmire briefly put Artesia back in front 7-6, the Lady Bulldogs would fall behind for the final time when four consecutive turnovers helped see the Ramettes to 12 unanswered points. Whitmire stopped and popped with just over two minutes to go in the first and Gracen Kuykendall delivered a bucket out of the press-breaker, but Portales headed into the second with a 10-point lead in hand, 21-11.

The Ramettes' full-court press continued to give the Artesia girls fits in that quarter, resulting in seven more costly turnovers. The Lady Bulldogs would hit just twice from the field in the period on back-to-back buckets by Peyton Barela and Zaleigh Greer midway through. Portales, meanwhile, hit three more from beyond the arc in a 14-point effort, while the Lady 'Dogs could manage just four of 10 from the stripe to bring their total to eight and their halftime deficit to 16, 35-19.

Artesia turned inside with more success in the third, getting three baskets and an and-one from Kuykendall. But with only two more buckets -- one each from Whitmire and Barela -- to tack onto that, Portales was able to continue inching further ahead, leading 50-31 going into the fourth. The Lady 'Dogs improved from the line in that quarter, going 7-10, but again managed just two field goals from Whitmire and Kuykendall as the Ramettes cruised to the 63-42 win.

Ainsworth led all scorers in the game with 20, while Kuykendall closed out with 15 for Artesia. The victory moved Portales (12-9) into a tie for the lead in the district with Lovington -- who defeated Goddard that same evening, 61-44 -- at 2-0, while the Lady Bulldogs (11-10), dropped into the bottom half with the Lady Rockets at 0-2.

STAT BOX

Portales 63
Artesia 42

Artesia (11-10, 0-2): Gracen Kuykendall 5, 5-7 15; Jenna Whitmire 3, 2-6 8; Zaleigh Greer 1, 4-4 6; Peyton Barela 2, 1-2 5; Ashton Craft 1, 1-2 4; Avery Frederick 2, 0-0 4; Brooklyn Fuentes 0, 0-2 0
Totals: 14, 13-23 42

Portales (12-9, 2-0): Molly Ainsworth 7, 5-8 20; Samantha Babalola 4, 2-5 12; Maria Lujan 2, 4-5 10; April Benavides 2, 4-6 8; Lissette Gomez 2, 2-2 6; Delaynee Banda 1, 1-2 4; Addyson Mayberry 1, 1-4 3
Totals: 19, 19-32 63

Field Goals: Artesia 14; Portales 19
Three-Pointers: Artesia 1 (Craft); Portales 6 (Babalola 2, Lujan 2, Ainsworth 1, Banda 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 13-23 (57%); Portales 19-32 (59%)
Turnovers: Artesia 22; Portales 15
Fouls: Artesia 20; Portales 17
Fouled Out: Artesia 2 (Greer, 3:53-4Q; Kuykendall, :28-4Q); Portales 0

District 4-AAAA: vs. Goddard

PICTURED: Jenna Whitmire effectively seals the deal for Artesia with a coast-to-coast bucket with under a minute to go in the game Feb. 6 at Ground Zero in Roswell.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

As the fourth quarter began, the Lady Bulldogs had just watched the five-point lead they'd built over Goddard in the third drop to two. At that point, Artesia had yet to log a field goal, but with 6:02 to go in the game, Jenna Whitmire stepped to the free-throw line and hit both shots, then drained a turnaround jumper in the paint 30 seconds later to push the Lady 'Dogs' lead back to six, 40-34. A string of turnovers, however, as the contest fell under five minutes saw the Lady Rockets reel off five unanswered, and when Whitmire was fouled with 2:12 left in the game, Artesia was up by just one, 40-39.

The senior once again had ice in her veins, knocking down both shots, but they were answered by Goddard's Camila Herrera seconds later. The Lady 'Dogs turned the ball over but saw Jordan Rone sent to the line after being fouled on the rebound. The senior guard missed the second of two but would dash into the lane and secure her own rebound, dribbling once and putting it off the glass to make it 45-41. And with under one minute remaining, Artesia overcame another turnover, with Whitmire grabbing a rebound on a missed shot by the Lady Rockets and taking it coast to coast for a layup to put the Lady Bulldogs up by six, 47-41. Both squads would miss free throw opportunities as the final 40 seconds ticked away, but Whitmire hit one of two at the eight-second mark to set the final, 48-41.

It was a much-needed win for the girls in orange after a frustrating start to the second season and came hard fought after Artesia got the contest off on the wrong foot. A total of 12 turnovers in that quarter limited the Lady Bulldogs to just five points -- a Rone basket on the block and a three from Ashton Craft -- while the Rockets drained a trio of three-pointers to help see them to a 15-5 advantage. The Lady 'Dogs rallied in the second, however, kicking off the quarter with nine unanswered -- two baskets and a three from Gracen Kuykendall and a pair from the stripe by Whitmire -- to pull back within one, 15-14. Goddard hit twice more from beyond the arc, but the Lady Bulldogs were able to take their first lead, 25-23, on two more baskets and two free throws from Kuykendall and a bucket and three from the stripe by Craft. But the half would close out from the charity stripe, with the Rockets going 3-9 and Artesia 0-4 to make it 26-25 Goddard at the break.

It would be the Artesia girls who held the Lady Rockets to just five in the third, as Goddard got a basket and a free throw early but wouldn't score again until the final two minutes. A 9-0 run that included an offensive putback and two free throws from Kuykendall, a layup and a free throw by Whitmire, and an Avery Frederick shot off the glass put Artesia up 34-29, and Herrera and Whitmire would trade buckets to make it 36-31 going into the exciting fourth.

Kuykendall had a banner game for the Lady Bulldogs, tying Goddard's Grado for high point with 17. Whitmire finished with 16 and Craft eight. The win moved the Lady 'Dogs to 12-10, 1-2 in District 4-AAAA, while the Lady Rockets dropped to 12-10, 0-3. Competing in Lovington, the Ramettes got a 51-48 overtime victory over the Lady Wildcats to take the lead at 3-0, while the 'Cats dropped to 2-1.

STAT BOX

Artesia 48
Goddard 41

Artesia (12-10, 1-2): Gracen Kuykendall 6, 4-6 17; Jenna Whitmire 4, 8-14 16; Ashton Craft 2, 3-4 8; Jordan Rone 2, 1-2 5; Avery Frederick 1, 0-0 2; Brooklyn Fuentes 0, 0-2 0
Totals: 15, 16-28 48

Goddard (12-10, 0-3): Carmen Grado 7, 0-2 17; Aubrie Bolanos 3, 2-5 9; Camila Herrera 1, 5-6 7; Jazmin Deleon 1, 2-8 5; Payton Abalos 1, 1-2 3; Addyson Harral 0, 0-2 0
Totals: 13, 10-25 41

Field Goals: Artesia 15; Goddard 13
Three-Pointers: Artesia 2 (Craft 1, Kuykendall 1); Goddard 5 (Grado 3, Bolanos 1, Deleon 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 16-28 (57%); Goddard 10-25 (40%)
Turnovers: Artesia 28; Goddard 20
Fouls: Artesia 18; Goddard 17
Fouled Out: Artesia 1 (Rone, :38-4Q); Goddard 1 (Natalie Hardwick, 6:02-4Q)

AHS CHEER

(Pictures by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

The Artesia High School cheerleaders held their annual Galentine's fundraiser event Saturday, Feb. 7, at the APS Administration Building. The cheer squads hit the catwalk in some of the hottest fashions from local boutiques and retailers, and attendees also battled to outbid one another for a selection of delicious and dazzling desserts prepared by the cheerleaders. To top it off, vendors were on hand to give everyone a chance to shop local and pick up some truly unique creations.