Albuquerque High boys earn a tough road victory as district play opens

In basketball, frequently it’s all about timing.

Think about the Class 5A boys division in New Mexico, which not too long ago produced double-digit seed state champions in consecutive years.

Just last March, the Albuquerque High Bulldogs, from way off the radar, advanced all the way to the state semifinals as an 11 seed.

Wednesday night marked the start of the final push to the end of the 2024-25 regular season, and the Bulldogs went on the road, pulled away in the final five minutes, and posted an important 74-57 victory over Atrisco Heritage.

Timing.

“This,” AHS coach Leroy Barela said, “is the best basketball we’ve played all (season).”

This was a District 5-5A opener for both teams. The Bulldogs (13-5) hope they can shake free from some indifferent results so far to produce a robust end of January/February push.

“We were 12-5, and we hadn’t played well, maybe that sounds a little arrogant, but it’s the truth,” Barela said. “We were squeaking out games at the end.”

On Wednesday, the Bulldogs went on a 16-2 run in the fourth quarter to get a win that most definitely was not a squeaker.

“What a time to start peaking, if this is the beginning of that, that upward trend,” Barela said. “We’ll take it.”

Deon Session of the Jaguars (9-9 and losers of six straight) buried a mid-range jumper with 5:33 to go, and Atrisco Heritage was within two points of Albuquerque High at 55-53.

Then the run commenced for AHS.

Ari Mireles, a 6-foot-4 senior wing, had the first five points of the 16-2 burst. He scored in the low post after a great entry pass, then hit a short jumper off the glass, was fouled, and completed a three-point play for a 60-53 lead.

Mireles, who finished with a team-best 22 points (including 17 in the second half and 10 in the fourth quarter), also closed the run, burying a 3 from the far corner and a 71-55 lead with just under 90 seconds to go.

“We were all clicking,” Mireles said. “Everyone. The starting five, the bench, everyone was getting theirs.”

The final push by the Bulldogs was somewhat in contrast to the rest of the game, which was extremely tight for the first 3½ quarters.

AHS led by one (37-36) at halftime, but extended out to an eight-point lead in the third quarter. Atrisco Heritage hit back-to-back 3-pointers, the second by Latavious Morris — who would end up getting hit with two technical fouls in this game — to cut the deficit to 46-44.

The Bulldogs, efficient inside, led 53-46 going to the fourth quarter.

Then Session’s two baskets, and then the AHS run that got league play off to a strong start for the Bulldogs.

“It’s easy when everyone can come together and contribute,” Mireles said.

Kaylem Bellamy and Ethan Oetzel both added 13 points for Albuquerque High. Kasyn Atanasoff-Perea scored 12

Morris led all scorers with 27 points.

Albuquerque High defeats Atrisco Heritage: Photos