MOSCA - The schools in the San Luis Valley kicked off the 2024-25 basketball season with excitement as Sangre de Cristo hosted their annual Thunderbird Shootout tournament this past weekend; from December fifth to the seventh, valley basketball teams battled it out on the Thunderbird’s courts for the distinction of being the Thunderbird shootout champions.  Nine teams, both girls and boys, brought some great competition.

The Centauri Falcons Junior Varsity team wins the Girl’s championship

After three days of matchups, the Centauri Falcons Junior Varsity team claimed the championship for the girls with a victory over the Center Vikings 44-40.

The tournament started off with opening-round games on Thursday. From the start, the Center Vikings dominated the Centennial Rams with a 66-13 win. Centauri JV also had an impressive showing from the start by defeating the Sangre Thunderbirds 79-14.

Centennial ended up winning the consolation championship in a tightly contested match against the Dolores Bears on Saturday morning, the game ending at 31-25. The game was pretty close for a while then Centennial swept their way through and kept on making tough plays which led to the downfall of Dolores.

The third-place game featured the Nucla Mustangs and La Veta Redhawks, with Nucla taking the victory 39-20 and securing their spot on the podium. Throughout the game Nucla had a pretty far lead that helped them secure the win.

The final showdown between Center and Centauri JV was a great matchup that had fans rallying after each possession. Both teams went back and forth but eventually, Centauri JV emerged victorious with a score of 44-40. At first, Centauri was down 0-7 but then started making their way back up. They began making great plays that led to their victory.

Nucla Mustangs boys basketball team wins the championship

The boys’ competition at the 2024 Thunderbird Shootout delivered unforgettable plays as teams competed from December 5-7 for the championship.

In an exciting championship game on Saturday night, Nucla Mustangs and Sangre de Cristo Thunderbirds went head-to-head for the championship. Nucla ended up taking the win with a score of 47-34.

The opening round featured strong performances with Sangre de Cristo defeating Soroco Rams 59-21. Sangre had a great lead with strong plays that helped lead them to success. While Nucla dominated Creede with a 62-33 victory, Nucla’s strong start to finish also led them to a successful win. Dolores also had a good start, beating La Veta 64-46.

After Center beat Centennial 55-33 they faced off against Nucla in the semifinals. Center ended up falling to Nucla 59-38. After bouncing back from the first game, Centennial ended up beating La Veta 53-41 to win the consolation championship. Centennial’s strong moves inside the paint and strong three-point shooting helped lead them to success.

In the third-place game, Center Vikings beat Dolores Bears 59-40 to secure their place on the podium. With their strong defensive skills and Dolores´s turnovers, they secured it.

Sangre de Cristo and Nucla battled fiercely for the championship in the tournament’s final match. It was a pretty close game throughout but Nucla came through with their great defense and sharp shooting skills to secure the win.