Six seniors graduated, including the team's floor general point guard for the past three seasons Kayla Herrera.

Two starters transferred to Rio Rancho's Cleveland High School, including 6-foot-4 post Sara Hattis and 5-4 point guard Mariah Gonzales, who provided the team's defensive intensity.

Some have picked the St. Michael's girls basketball team to finish as low as fifth.

Not in the state, but in District 2AAA.

And none of that seems to matter to Jamie Velasquez.

"There might be some teams that overlook us, but that's OK," said Velasquez, a 5-foot-7 senior guard. "If we work hard and just worry about ourselves and not so much who isn't here, then we can be pretty good this season. We know (Las Vegas) Robertson and West (Las Vegas) are the teams to beat in the district, but we can't worry about who is picked to win. We just have to worry about us."

Entering his fourth season running the girls program, Lady Horsemen head coach Martin Romero says that despite the relative inexperience of his roster, his team will be as versatile as any team he's coached.

"We can push the tempo and be up and down if its there — on offense or press on defense quite a bit," Romero said. "If we need to slow it down, we'll be able to do that, too. We have the personnel this year that gives us more flexibility to rely on guards and tempo in a game or just pound it inside to the post if that's what is called for in a game, too. It's real nice to have that flexibility."

But there's no denying the experience factor is lacking. There are five returnees from last year's Class AAA semifinalist team — Velasquez, 6-0 sophomore post Alexa Chavez, 5-9 senior forward Tamara Quintana, 5-10 senior forward Vanessa Ulibarri and 5-1 junior point guard Brittany Quintana.

Of all the players from a team that finished 21-9, Romero says the toughest to replace may be Gonzales, who brought defensive intensity every night.

"She was the one that got us going on defense," Romero said. "She set the tone for how intense we were from night to night and we'll need someone to step into that role and fill those shoes because that will be missed."

The ones still on the Lady Horsemen roster don't seem to be worried about how the team will adapt.

"We have some good players here," Tamara Quintana said. "We have the talent to be just fine with who is here, but maybe more important than just having the good players is that I also think we're strong enough mentally."

The mental toughness allows the team to shrug off the less-than-generous preseason predictions coming their way. Despite being a final four team a season ago, and losing to eventual state champion Pojoaque Valley, the Lady Horsemen aren't exactly getting much respect this season.

In the New Mexico High School Coaches Association preseason poll released Sunday, the Lady Horsemen were No. 8 in AAA with four teams from the uber-strong District 2AAA ahead of them — West Las Vegas (No. 2), Las Vegas Robertson (No. 3), Pojoaque Valley (No. 5) and Santa Fe Indian School (No. 7).

"But that stuff isn't all that important to us," Romero said. "If we play hard and play our defense as well as we can, we'll have our chances, even if this district is as good as a lot of people think it can be — and its as good as its been since I've been here."

As good as the district is predicted to be, with many penciling in as many as
five 2AAA teams for the 16-team bracket, it isn't so much what Robertson, West
Las Vegas and Pojoaque will be bringing to the court that concerns the Lady Horsemen.

"We only have ourselves to blame if we lose," Tamara Quintana said. "If we don't go out there and beat ourselves, we're good enough to make a good run in this district and if you make a good run in the district, you'll probably do well at state, too.

"We're a defense-first sort of team, but we have some shooters, too. I think we'll surprise some people that aren't expecting much from us."

And while the Lady Horsemen make it a point not to dwell on preseason rankings and things out of their control, their coach acknowledges the topic might not be off limits all season.

"People say, it's not where you start, its where you finish," Romero said. "So the polls don't mean much, but I think there will be a time and place I pull out those rankings to remind them at some point this season."

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3060 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com.
Read his blog at grammerschoolblog.com.