In overtime thriller, Volcano Vista achieves a rare four-peat

No. 4 was the hardest.

Possibly the most rewarding.

Certainly the most memorable.

There will be a time and place for a conversation about how these 2024-25 Volcano Vista boys compare to the best individual prep basketball teams New Mexico’s ever seen, spanning all the eras.

Whatever shape the discussion takes when that day comes, opinions, of course, will be entirely subjective.

But that day is not today. Today is for the unstoppable force of nature Volcano Vista has become.

The Hawks’ fourth consecutive Class 5A state championship cemented dynasty status, as No. 1 Volcano Vista pulled out a scintillating 60-53 overtime victory over No. 3 Sandia before a crowd of about 10,000 captivated fans on Saturday night in the Pit.

“They’re all very special,” a clearly emotional Volcano Vista coach Greg Brown said, fighting tears, talking about the Hawks’ four blue trophies. “To be a part of this one … just very emotional.”

Volcano Vista becomes the first team in the boys big-school division to win four straight since Hobbs (1999-2002). No Albuquerque program in the largest division has ever had a run to match this one.

“It is rewarding, just because of the seniors that we have that deserve to go out this way,” Brown said.

The Pit was shockingly devoid of tantalizing games all week, especially on the boys side. Saturday night was a spectacularly welcome course correction.

Picking up the drama in the fourth quarter, Volcano Vista (29-2) held a 51-42 lead on Sandia (27-4) with 3:20 to go after a strong drive and finish by sophomore forward David Lunn, whose speed and size (6-foot-5) led to a few such buckets in the fourth quarter and created havoc for the Sandia defense. He finished with a team-best 19 points.

But the Matadors summoned some thrills to extend the game, and the season.

Senior guard Zaire Ndyabagye, who scored 15 points, buried consecutive 3-pointers to bring the Matadors to within three at 51-48 with 2:45 to go.

The Hawks were unable to find any more offense, and Sandia came within a whisker of winning state itself.

Volcano Vista was holding for a final shot when Sandia turned over the Hawks at midcourt.

Going the other way, freshman guard Isaiah Brown, in front of his bench, had a wide open look at a 3 for Sandia that would have ended Volcano’s dynasty and broken his uncle’s heart.

“It just felt like slow motion watching it go through the air,” said Volcano Vista senior forward Kenyon Aguino, who had 18 points and seven rebounds.

It misfired, the teams went to overtime and the Pit was buzzing loudly.

“It looked good when it left his hand,” Matadors coach Danny Brown said. He is the younger brother of the Volcano Vista coach. “That’s a shot he makes eight out of 10 times.”

Greg Brown now has six state championships to his credit as a coach, one with Manzano and now five with Volcano Vista. Danny Brown is 0-3, including losses to Volcano Vista on Saturday and two years ago.

“They deserve to feel the way we feel right now,” Greg Brown said.

The Hawks rampaged through all of New Mexico’s challengers this season — for the most part.

Sandia is notably not on that list, as the Matadors repeatedly made the Hawks sweat. They did the first time they met, on the West Side in December. They did again a few weeks later, dropping a close decision in the metro final at La Cueva.

And the Matadors were as close as they could possibly be to ending this run by Volcano Vista, but ended up with three of their four losses at the hands of the Hawks.

Volcano Vista just completed in this four seasons a stampede rarely seen before. The Hawks won 117 games during these four title campaigns, and they lost just four games. Just two of those losses were inside New Mexico, and both were to the same school: Cleveland.

For comparative purposes, Hobbs in its run went 100-10 in that four-season span.

Volcano Vista had two straight losses at the start of the calendar year, at an elite national tournament in Phoenix.

The only week of basketball against New Mexico competition that saw the Hawks vulnerable was the following week, at the metro championships, when Hobbs, Rio Rancho and Sandia all supplied major tests.

But Volcano Vista, on tired legs, soldiered through

And then closed in style.

Again.

Volcano Vista defeats Sandia to win 5A championship: Photos