LA JARA – In a battle of Top 10 teams, the Centauri High School girls basketball team, ranked fourth in Class 3A, defeated Alamosa, the ninth-ranked team in Class 4A, 51-37 Saturday at the CHS gym.

Kailyn Polzin scored the first points for Centauri, but Mary Masias drained a 3-point basket to give the Lady Mean Moose a 3-2 lead. Polzin split at the line to tie the score, and then Caitlyn Creel scored a layup for a 5-3 Lady Falcons lead.

Masias made two free throws to again tie the score, but Amaya Garcia made a jumper and then a three for a 10-5 Centauri advantage.

Brooke Gonzales made two from the line to help the Lady Mean Moose close to within 10-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Gonzales scored in the paint to open the second quarter, but Braelyn Tucker knocked down a jump shot for Centauri. Gonzales made two more free throws, and then Masias and Morgan Ortega both split at the line to put Alamosa back into the lead at 13-12.

Masias made two more free tosses, but Jocelyn Jarvies and Garcia both split the line. Garcia scored again to help Centauri regain the lead at 16-15. Tucker also split at the line to increase the lead to 17-15.

Masias made two more charity tosses and Charley Higham made one of two from the line to give the Lady Mean Moose an 18-17 lead at halftime.

Alamosa came out for the second half red-hot. Gonzales made two layups and Higham went one-for-two from the line to increase the lead to 23-17. Abbey Smith buried a trey, and Garcia scored two 2-point baskets and also a three to put the Lady Falcons back in front at 27-26.

Polzin made two more layups, but Miquela Abeyta scored at the buzzer for Alamosa. Centauri led 29-28 after the third quarter.

Lacey Johnson began the fourth quarter with a layup, Smith made another 3-pointer, and Polzin made one of two free throws for a 35-28 Centauri lead. Sydney Jackson made two free throws, and Masias split at the line to reduce the deficit to 35-31.

Polzin hit a jumper, but Higham scored on the other side for a 37-33 Lady Falcons lead.

That would be as close as the Lady Mean Moose would come as Centauri outscored Alamosa 14-4 in the final four minutes of the quarter.

Garcia was Centauri’s top scorer with 17 points, followed by Polzin with 12.

Masias led Alamosa with 11 points and Gonzales scored 10.

Centauri (10-2, 3-0 Intermountain League) will travel to Montezuma-Cortez today. This is a make-up of the game originally scheduled for last Friday. Game time is at 4:30 p.m. The Lady Falcons will then host Ignacio on Friday at 5:30 p.m, and it will travel to Pagosa Springs on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. Start.

Alamosa (9-4, 2-1) will travel to Bayfield on Friday and will then host Ignacio on Saturday. Both games begin at 5:30 p.m.

The Lady Mean Moose will play at Pagosa Springs on Jan. 31. This is a reschedule of the game that were originally to be played last Friday.

Centauri 51, Alamosa 37

Alamosa – Masias 1 8-10 11, Geringer 0 0-0 0, Higham 1 3-6 5, Gonzales 3 4-4 10, Jackson 1 3-4 5, Ortega 1 1-3 4, Abeyta 1 0-0 2, Wiedeman 0 0-1 0. Total 8 19-28 37.

3-point goal – Masias 1. Total 1.

Centauri – Smith 2 0-2 6, Tucker 1 1-3 3, Garcia 6 3-4 17, Polzin 3 5-12 12, Creel 1 0-0 2, Jackson 0 0-0 0, Guymon 0 0-0 0, Shawcroft 0 0-0 0, Jarvies 0 3-4 3, Johnson 1 0-2 2, Curtis 3 0-0 6. Total 16 12-27 51.

3-point goals – Curtis 2, Garcia 2, Smith 2, Polzin 1. Total 7.

Alamosa 7 11 10 9 – 37

Centauri 10 7 12 22 – 51

Fouls – Alamosa 21, Centauri 22.