A boys' basketball team in white and orange uniforms with orange shoes poses for a photo holding a trophy and individual plaques, flanked by coaches and managers.

Runnin' 'Dogs win seventh straight district title as Artesia teams prepare for upcoming D4 Tournament

Brienne Green

February 18, 2026

PICTURED: The 2025-26 Bulldog basketball team poses with its District 4-AAAA championship trophy and plaques Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Bulldog Pit following a 62-24 win over Goddard.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

PREVIOUS WINTER SPORTS WRAPS
• Swim teams place second in district; wrestling sending four to state; AHS cheer wins district amidst hardware haul; Bulldog hoops tops Lovington, Portales
• Bulldog bowlers do Artesia proud at state tourney, finish as A-4A runners-up
• Basketball teams top Goddard, fall to Portales in district play; cheerleaders celebrate Galentine's
• 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

A teen boy in a white and orange basketball uniform dunks the ball as two opponents in blue and white look on.

PICTURED: Clay Kincaid slams home a dunk during the first quarter Tuesday, Feb. 17, against Goddard at Bulldog Pit as Rocket defenders Josiah Castillo (22) and Kyle Mesquita (2) look on.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

The Bulldog basketball team knew if they wanted to put a bark on District 4-AAAA, they'd need more Tuesday than the eight-point win they pulled out of a hotly contested bout with Goddard Feb. 6 at Ground Zero in Roswell. What they wanted was a win befitting a seven-time district champion. And they went out before a blackout crowd at Bulldog Pit and got it. Class 4A second-ranked Artesia defeated the Rockets by way of a 62-24 rout that locked up the regular-season title and made it an historic lucky seven in a row for the program, overcoming their last-second loss to Portales Feb. 3 to earn the top seed in this year's District 4 Tournament.

With the exception of a trio of ties in the early goings of the opening quarter, the Runnin' 'Dogs led the Rockets from tip to horn Tuesday, building a double-digit advantage by the break, 37-20, and devastating Goddard defensively in the final two quarters, where the boys in blue managed just a single field goal and two free throws.

The Rockets had an equal answer for a Braylon Vega three-pointer, a hook shot in the paint by Clay Kincaid, and a Vega jumper as the contest began, but a 9-0 run that included another left-handed hook and a dunk by Kincaid, a running jumper from Charlie Campbell, and a Tootie McNeil trifecta quickly put Artesia up by nine, 16-7. Goddard would score six of the quarter's final nine points, however, to trail by just six, 19-13, heading into the second. But the 'Dogs would turn up the defense in that quarter, limiting the Rockets to a trio of field goals while continuing to insulate their lead. A bucket each by Kincaid, Trent Egeland and Cael Houghtaling and two from the stripe by Campbell saw Artesia up 27-20 with just over four minutes to go, and the boys in orange would expand that to 17, 37-20, with 10 unanswered to close out the half: two layups and a three from Campbell and a trey by Houghtaling.

In the face of the Bulldogs' continued relentless defense as the second half began, the wheels simply came off for the Rockets starting in the third. Josiah Castillo put up two to counter back-to-back baskets from Campbell and Vega, but that would be it for Goddard offensively. Two more layups by Campbell and a drive from the top of the key and a three by Vega propelled Artesia's lead to 28, 50-22, and a McNeil trey at the buzzer took the 'Dogs into the fourth one point away from setting the mercy-rule clock in motion, 56-22.

A teen boy in a white and orange basketball uniform jumps as he shoots the ball high into the air over a sizable defender in blue. Behind him, his team's bench and a portion of the crowd look on in anticipation.

PICTURED: Tootie McNeil hits a three at the third-quarter buzzer over Goddard's Brady Duer as the Bulldog bench looks on.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

A Jack Byers offensive putback started the clock running, and although a pair from the line by Grady Munson would briefly stop it, a longball from Sawyer Whitehead with 3:27 to go in the game put it in effect for good. Artesia was able to work its bench into the action as the final minutes sped away, with Diego Morales rounding out the final on a free throw, 62-24. Campbell was high point on the night with 18, followed by Vega with 12, and Castillo finished with eight for the Rockets.

The win set the Bulldogs' season record at 20-5 and their D4 mark at 5-1, dropping Portales -- who earned a split with Lovington Tuesday at the RAC, 63-38 -- into second at 4-2. Goddard took the third seed going into the district tournament at 2-4, and Lovington finished fourth at 1-5. That places the Wildcats -- whom the Bulldogs defeated 80-48 and 74-39 in regular district play -- in the 1-4 opening-round matchup with Artesia, who will host Lovington at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, at the Pit. The winner advances to take on the winner of Goddard-Portales at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, for the D4 Tourney championship.

A teen boy in a white and orange basketball uniform hops under the basket as he releases the ball from his right hand. An opponent in blue jumps in front of him with his right arm up to defend.

PICTURED: Braylon Vega puts up two over Goddard's Eli Barncastle.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

A teen boy in a white and orange basketball uniform jumps with both legs bent at the knees as he reaches toward the backboard with the ball in both hands. A mostly obscured defender in blue bumps him from the side for a foul.

PICTURED: Charlie Campbell drives into the lane and is fouled early in the second quarter.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

STAT BOX

Artesia 62
Goddard 24

Artesia (20-5, 5-1): Charlie Campbell 7, 3-4 18; Braylon Vega 5, 0-0 12; Tootie McNeil 3, 1-2 9; Clay Kincaid 4, 0-0 8; Cael Houghtaling 2, 0-0 5; Jack Byers 1, 1-2 3; Sawyer Whitehead 1, 0-0 3; Trent Egeland 1, 0-0 2; Corbyn Dominguez 0, 1-2 1; Diego Morales 0, 1-4 1
Totals: 24, 7-14 62

Goddard (11-14, 2-4): Josiah Castillo 4, 0-0 8; Eli Barncastle 2, 0-0 4; Isaiah Mestas 1, 2-4 4; Kyle Mesquita 1, 0-0 3; Joaquin Sanchez 1, 1-1 3; Grady Munson 0, 2-2 2
Totals: 9, 5-7 24

Field Goals: Artesia 24; Goddard 9
Three-Pointers: Artesia 7 (McNeil 2, Vega 2, Campbell 1, Houghtaling 1, Whitehead 1); Goddard 1 (Mesquita)
Free Throws: Artesia 7-14 (50%); Goddard 5-7 (71%)
Turnovers: Artesia 3; Goddard 15
Fouls: Artesia 8; Goddard 16
Fouled Out: None

LADY BULLDOG BASKETBALL

A teen girl in a white and orange basketball uniform is seen from the knees up as she lifts the ball with her right hand to release it. A teammate and two opponents in blue are visible below her.

PICTURED: Ashton Craft puts one off the glass over Goddard's Aubrie Bolanos during the second quarter Tuesday at Bulldog Pit.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

There's a lot to be said for perseverance. Not every win is going to be a runaway, and not every loss is going to come down to a single defining factor. All games are a combination of moments, and the Lady Bulldog basketball team has suffered its share of frustrating ones this season. But, as the team learned once again Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Bulldog Pit, your best shot at success comes when you give yourself a chance and then never give up.

There were still missteps made in Artesia's regular District 4-AAAA finale against Goddard. But for each one, the girls in orange gave themselves grace and got past it, doing the next thing better than the time before. At the half, they trailed the Lady Rockets by a point, 26-25. By the end of the third, they'd built a four-point lead, 37-33. And spurred by the pure determination and grit of two of their senior leaders, the Lady Bulldogs put the pedal down and powered to the finish line in the fourth, outscoring the Rockets 20-8 to cap off a decisive 57-41 win before an enthusiastic home crowd.

The Artesia girls came out strong in the bout to determine the district's No. 3 seed. Avery Frederick delivered a 10-foot jumper off the tip, and Ashton Craft followed an offensive putback with a three-pointer to answer a trey by Goddard's Carmen Grado. The Lady Rockets got a successful and-one from Jazmin Deleon midway through to tie things up, but a shot in the paint by Gracen Kuykendall and a Jenna Whitmire trifecta at the two-minute mark put the Lady 'Dogs back in the lead. Jordan Rone would then hit the quarter's fourth three-pointer with 24 seconds left to counter a pair of Natalie Hardwick buckets and send Artesia into the second up 15-11.

The Lady Rockets would strike twice more from beyond the arc in that period, each time taking a one-point lead over the Lady Bulldogs that was subsequently reversed, first by Kuykendall on the offensive boards, then by Craft on a stop and pop with 3:24 remaining in the first half. With Zaleigh Greer and Aubrie Bolanos trading buckets in the final seconds, however, a 5-6 showing from the free-throw line in the quarter to Artesia's 2-5 would ultimately spell the difference for Goddard as the girls in blue carried a 26-25 lead into the break.

A teen girl in a white and orange basketball uniform goes straight up into the air as she releases the ball toward the basket. An opponent in blue raises both arms in an attempt to defend.

PICTURED: Jordan Rone puts up a three-pointer over Goddard's Camila Herrera in the final seconds of the first quarter.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)

Harrying the Rocket shooters in the third quarter, the Lady 'Dogs were able to hold Goddard to just seven points, five of those coming from the stripe. That allowed Artesia to rebuild its advantage, starting with an 8-0 run that included another three from Craft and a pair of successful drives to the basket by Brooklyn Fuentes. Kuykendall posted two in the paint, both off assists by Greer, in the final minutes, and the Lady Bulldogs moved into the fourth up 37-33.

There, to put it mildly, senior guard Whitmire went off.

The Lady 'Dogs' steadfast sacrificer of her own safety drew fouls while powering into the lane four times in the quarter, and to her four free throws she added a turnaround jumper in the lane, a coast-to-coast layup off the defensive boards, and a banked-home three-pointer that helped push Artesia's lead into double digits by the 3:30 mark, 47-36. Right behind her in support was classmate Craft, who delivered a wide-open shot off the glass, a dish to Kuykendall for a bucket on an offensive rebound, and her third longball of the evening with 40 seconds to go in the game that slammed the book closed on Artesia's 57-41 victory.

Craft and Whitmire led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring on the night with 17 and 14 points, respectively, while Kuykendall added 12. Grado finished with 15 for the Lady Rockets. The win put Artesia back on the plus side at 13-12, improving their district mark to 2-4 and allowing them to close out regular district play in third. Meanwhile in Goober Gulch, Portales and Class 4A seventh-ranked Lovington had been vying for the regular-season district title, and the Ramettes would come out on top of that battle, completing a sweep of Lovington and finishing 5-1 in D4 play with a 60-52 win. That put the Lady Wildcats in the runner-up slot at 4-2 and set the opening round's 2-3 matchup: Artesia vs. Lovington at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Wildcat Country. The victor will advance to take on the winner of Goddard-Portales at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27.

STAT BOX

Artesia 57
Goddard 41

Artesia (13-12, 2-4): Ashton Craft 7, 0-0 17; Jenna Whitmire 4, 4-8 14; Gracen Kuykendall 5, 2-7 12; Brooklyn Fuentes 2, 2-2 6; Jordan Rone 1, 0-0 3; Avery Frederick 1, 0-0 2; Zaleigh Greer 1, 0-0 2; Desiray Savoie 0, 1-2 1
Totals: 21, 9-19 57

Goddard (13-12, 1-5): Carmen Grado 2, 9-14 15; Payton Abalos 2, 4-5 9; Natalie Hardwick 3, 1-3 7; Jazmin Deleon 2, 1-1 5; Aubrie Bolanos 2, 0-0 4; Adyson Harral 0, 1-2 1
Totals: 11, 16-25 41

Field Goals: Artesia 21; Goddard 11
Three-Pointers: Artesia 6 (Craft 3, Whitmire 2, Rone 1); Goddard 3 (Grado 2, Abalos 1)
Free Throws: Artesia 9-19 (47%); Goddard 16-25 (56%)
Turnovers: Artesia 18; Goddard 13
Fouls: Artesia 19; Goddard 14
Fouled Out: None