Volcano Vista boys survive scare on first day of metros

The top matchup on paper also turned out to be the best matchup on the wood as the Albuquerque Metro Basketball Championships began across the city on Tuesday night.

The top-ranked Volcano Vista boys, fresh off a national tournament appearance in Phoenix over the weekend, had all they could handle with No. 3-ranked Hobbs in a first-rounder at Cibola. The Hawks had to rally from 13 down in the second half.

All the quarterfinal games are 7 p.m. Wednesday. The eight consolation bracket games are 5:15 p.m.

BOYS: Wednesday’s quarters feature Volcano Vista at Cibola, Sandia against Atrisco Heritage at Del Norte, La Cueva-Cleveland at Albuquerque High, and Hope Christian taking on Rio Rancho at Eldorado.

The Hawks’ 62-55 win over the Eagles looked incredibly like last month’s win over Sandia, when Volcano Vista got down double digits at halftime and had to come from behind. Hobbs was the sharper, more effective team in the first half, outplaying and outshooting Volcano Vista. It was 32-22 at halftime and 35-22 after an early 3-pointer in the third quarter.

“We’re not playing at a championship level right now for us,” Volcano coach Greg Brown said. “We definitely have to get some things cleaned up.”

The Hawks had a terrific third quarter, including one crucial five-point trip that featured a corner 3 by Rian Gonzales — following a crucial offensive rebound off a missed free throw by Kenyon Aguino — and led 44-43 headed to the fourth quarter.

It was 54-53 for Volcano Vista with 2½ minutes to go when Gonzales once again delivered from that same corner; this 3 sparked a mini 6-0 run that ended Hobbs’ chances. The Eagles (11-2) lost for the first time to a New Mexico opponent.

“Heavy legs or not, Hobbs is for real,” Brown said. “They punched us in the mouth. We knew they were going to, but we didn’t handle it very well in the first half.”

Aguino scored a team-high 30 points for Volcano Vista. Gonzales had six points, on those two 3s.

“Hobbs is definitely a great team,” Gonzales said. “They gave us a run.”

The Eagles, despite the tough first-round matchup, proved they’re going to be heard from in March.

“Second half, we had too many lapses,” Hobbs coach Ronald Ross said. “Against a good team like Volcano Vista, it hurt us. They capitalized on some of our lapses.”

Volcano Vista next faces district rival Cibola (7-2). The Cougars led by 25 points, 37-12, in the first half, and finished off Valley 67-49. Elijah Martinez led Cibola with 19 points. Teammate Isaiah Weinrich, a senior post, added 16 points. Cibola now has one more victory this season than it did all of last season.

At Albuquerque High, La Cueva (6-5) eked out a 35-33 victory over the host Bulldogs. Hunter Butler had 14 points to lead the Bears, who overcame a tie game with AHS in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland (9-2) had an impressive 72-50 victory over Highland. Remy Albrecht poured in 27 points for the Storm, and Psalmon Kegler had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

At Del Norte, Sandia (10-1) posted a 79-42 victory over Rio Grande. All 13 Matadors in uniform scored, led by Isaiah Brown’s 15 points.

The Matadors face Atrisco Heritage next; the Jaguars (9-3) won a close 61-58 decision over the host Knights. Deon Session’s three-point play with 5.4 seconds to go broke a 58-all tie for Atrisco Heritage.

At Eldorado, Rio Rancho and Hope won by different manners.

The Rams (9-2) battered the host Eagles 89-59. Four players hit double figures, led by sophomore Noah Lovato’s 21. Rio Rancho led by 10 at halftime but pulled away in the second half.

Hope Christian (5-4) pulled out a narrow 59-56 win over West Mesa.

GIRLS: Sandia and Hobbs, the state’s top two ranked teams, cruised to first-round victories on Tuesday.

The unbeaten Matadors (12-0) beat West Mesa 63-28 at Atrisco Heritage. Sydney Benally and Audri Wright each had 14 points to lead Sandia.

The Matadors next face Cleveland. Also at Atrisco, the Storm (7-4) routed the host Jaguars 59-17. Malia Mose had 17 points, Savannah Madueno 12 for Cleveland, which led 29-9 at halftime.

Hobbs is in the bottom half of the bracket. The Eagles (13-1) have now won 13 in a row since an opening-day loss in Albuquerque to Sandia. Hobbs rolled past Hope Christian 65-31 at Volcano Vista. Bhret Clay led the Eagles with 17 points, and Hobbs outscored the Huskies 24-2 in the pivotal third quarter.

On Wednesday, Hobbs faces Volcano Vista; the Hawks (7-2) beat Eldorado 59-31 at Volcano. Mila Espinoza led the Hawks with 17 points and five steals. Mia Zuniga added 11.

At Highland, La Cueva and defending 4A state champion Kirtland Central posted victories. The Bears had no trouble with Del Norte, winning 62-26. Jordyn Dyer had a big night with 24 points.

Kirtland Central (10-1) defeated the host Hornets, 63-42. Two sophomores led the way for the Broncos, with Zoey Benally scoring 16 points and Elaina Clani 12.

The last of the four quarterfinals on Wednesday will feature Albuquerque High versus Rio Rancho, at Rio Grande.

The Bulldogs beat Cibola 43-32, with Lailah Bouldin scoring 20 points for AHS. Abrielle Pavia chipped in with a dozen points, and Zaiyah Hawley registered eight steals.

Rio Rancho routed the host Ravens, 64-13, as junior forward/post Kaci McHugh led the Rams with 16 points.

First day of the Albuquerque Metro Championships: Photos