‘It’s been one heck of a ride’: Farmington Scorpions star senior looks ahead to state tournament
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FARMINGTON, N.M. – The Farmington Scorpions girls basketball team enters the state high school basketball tournament Friday with a record of 26-2 on the season.
"It’s been one heck of a ride."
That’s how Farmington senior Kiiyani Anitielu describes their season – and her high school basketball career in general – as she and her team prepare for the first round of the state tournament.
Her dad introduced her to the sport she now loves, but it wasn’t always that way.
"First I was like. ‘I don’t know about this sport, you know, cause I wasn’t very good,’ but I kept at it," Anitielu reflected.
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Anitielu even walked away at one point, but she soon realized basketball was her thing. Now, she has become one of the best players in the state – averaging 20 points per game.
"You know it’s the first time I’ve coached a player whose work ethics are beyond anyone I can compare to right now," said Larenson Henderson, head coach of the Farmington Scorpions girls basketball team.
Beyond the Scorpions, she also plays on the New Mexico Clippers club team – which has been an experience she’s grateful for.
"It takes me places – places that I never thought I could actually be – and it connects me with a lot of people," Anitielu said. "I think that’s the most beautiful thing about this sport."
Anitielu and the Scorpions play at home Friday against the Eldorado Eagles.