ALBUQUERQUE — If ever there was a contrast in programs, it had to be in Thursday's semifinals of the Class AAAA Girls State Basketball Championships.

Kirtland-Central owns 17 state championships. And Española Valley, well the Lady Sundevils got to the dance last season but didn't stick around too long.

No, fourth-seeded Española Valley didn't pull the upset over the No. 1 Broncos in The Pit. But the fourth-seeded Lady Sundevils (26-5) gave a good showing for themselves in losing 52-47.

"We've come a long way from being 0-27 three years ago," Española Valley head coach Ron Drake said. "We got to the semifinals so I can't say enough about these girls."

The Lady Sundevils have come not quite far enough, however, as Kirtland-Central (25-2) never trailed.

And for a while, it looked like the Lady Broncos were going to bust the Lady Sundevils with ease, using a 16-1 run in the second quarter to go up 33-15.

By midway through the third quarter, however, Española Valley had cut the lead to 37-33 after Nisa Duran sliced through the lane for a bucket and a foul.

The Lady Sundevils, though, never got closer.

"I honestly don't think it should have been that close," said Lady Broncos forward Amanda Kerr. "I know you're talking about the No. 1 seed versus the No. 4 seed. It seems like Española came to play. We saw them before the game, they were really pumped up."

Kirtland-Central, which was led by Daris Woody's 13 points, seemed more blasé about the game

"When we went out on the court, it seems like we weren't communicating very well," said Kerr, who finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. "I think that was probably the key to our defense. I know you guys always talk about Kirtland's defense and how strong we are at it. It's based on communication and tonight I don't think we did such a good job of that. I think that was a key to the score being so close."

One of the concerns was that Duran was a consistent source of trouble for the Lady Broncos, as she finished with 18 points. And her dribble penetration created opportunities for teammate Melanie Vigil, who contributed nine points.

It led Kirtland-Central head coach Charles Kromer to employ a slowdown offense.

"The whole idea was too slow the game down and keep number 22 (Duran) and number five (Vigil) from getting the basketball," he said. "We had some early fastbreaks. But then they started making their shots and getting back and covering."

Duran hit consecutive 3-pointers just before halftime, which gave the Lady Sundevils the momentum going into the second half.

"I thought we played a pretty good game in that second half," Drake said. "We got down, but we outscored them in the second half. Our defense got better and our offense got better and hit some big shots."

Española Valley just couldn't overcome the large hole it dug for itself.

"I guess we had the nerves, playing in The Pit against the No. 1 team, that was a little nerve wracking," Duran said.

She did her best to will her team to victory.

"I shot what I can and I try not to think about it too much," Duran said. "I want to be a leader for my team and try to make something happen."