Boys metro: It'll be Brown vs. Brown in the tournament final

Sandia’s bench celebrates a 3-pointer against Cleveland during Friday’s metro basketball semifinal at La Cueva High School. The Matadors won 93-63 and advanced to the tournament championship game.

Sandia’s Zaire Ndyabagye goes up for a shot over Cleveland defenders during Friday's metro basketball semifinal at La Cueva High School.

Sean Reider Sean Reider Sean Reider Journal Staff Writer

Published January 10, 2025 - 9:15 p.m. Modified January 10, 2025 - 10:45 p.m.

The boys metro tournament final will be another chapter in one of Albuquerque prep basketball’s most storied sibling rivalries.

If only for the fact that it’s another installment of Brown vs. Brown, with Class 5A No. 1 Volcano Vista taking on Sandia in Saturday’s metro tournament title game (6 p.m.) at La Cueva High School.

The Hawks, led by coach Greg Brown, are vying for their fourth straight metro title. To get it, they’ll have to go through the Matadors — coached by Greg’s younger brother, Danny.

If the matchup isn’t a novelty, it remains special for two of the metro area’s most prominent coaches.

“We’ve done it so many times, but it’s always an honor,” Danny said on Friday night. “It’s always a privilege to play against my brother’s teams because they’re so well-coached, so good … Our guys are comfortable playing them, but it’s just a matter of us trying to stop them.”

The two teams previously met last month, on Dec. 13, a 68-59 Volcano Vista comeback win.

“Sandia is playing awesome right now,” Greg said. “And so it’s going to be a battle — a fun one.”

VOLCANO VISTA 65, RIO RANCHO 59: Kenyon Aguino scored 31 points, David Lunn added 19 and the Hawks staged a late comeback to down the Rams in the second semifinal at La Cueva.

Aguino, Volcano Vista’s ultra-talented senior forward, keyed the Hawks’ fourth-quarter rally — and a highly entertaining finish — with 11 points in the final stanza. After a quiet third quarter, the 6-foot-7 Montana commit took over, hitting a pair of free throws and tying the game at 54-54 by dunking a stolen inbound pass.

Then, after blocking a Rio Rancho shot attempt under the basket, Aguino found Rian Gonzales for a three to make it 57-54. The Hawks outscored Rio Rancho 15-11 in the final eight minutes.

“Kenyon, he sparks us and he does so much for us,” Greg said. “But (Evan Accilien) got some key rebounds and we had some guys that came in and got some defensive stops for us. So yes, Kenyon was awesome, and our team found a way.”

Jordan McNeely led Rio Rancho with 21 points, scoring 11 in a back-and-forth first half the Rams closed with a 31-30 lead.

SANDIA 93, CLEVELAND 63: Thomas Adams scored a game-high 23 points and the Matadors never trailed in a fast-paced game that devolved into a blowout in the first semifinal at La Cueva.

Adams, a 6-foot-3 guard, scored 10 of Sandia’s (12-2) first 13 points as a flurry of Cleveland turnovers fed the Matadors’ near-overwhelming transition attack to a 44-27 halftime lead.

“We felt that Cleveland wanted to run with us, and we feel like we’re better than most teams at doing that,” Danny said. “But I was really proud of our defense, especially in the first half. I think that’s what got us going and it led to us hitting shots.”

Isaiah Brown, Sandia’s sharpshooting freshman, finished with 22 points, including back-to-back threes that put the Matadors up 52-29 at the start of the third.

“Shoots better than his father, I’ll tell you that,” Danny said when asked about his son.

Remy Albrecht led Cleveland, one of the hottest teams in the metro tournament, with 22 points. Brycen Bowie added 12 points.