Metro final will offer something familiar (Hobbs) and something new (Albuquerque High)

Albuquerque High girls basketball coach Teri Morrison told her team that she wanted them to act like they’d been there before.

There was only one problem — none of the players on her team, nor Morrison herself, have any reference to carry out such an instruction.

Indeed, AHS will be playing in the final of the Albuquerque Metro Championships for the first time, as the fourth-ranked Bulldogs upset No. 1-ranked and undefeated Rio Rancho 52-40 in the metro semifinals on Friday night at Del Norte.

The Bulldogs (10-2) will face third-ranked Hobbs (14-2) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Del Norte in the championship game. The Eagles held off Kirtland Central 68-63 in a wild early semi.

AHS 52, RIO RANCHO 40: The Bulldogs didn’t get the chance to face Hobbs when AHS was at the Eagles’ holiday tournament last week. They will collide on Saturday.

“It’s so exciting,” Morrison said. “We didn’t have a great showing at Hobbs. Getting to play them here for the championship … I love it for the Bulldog alumni, but I love it also for the kids.”

Freshman guard Abby Pavia, who didn’t play when AHS lost to Rio Rancho last month in the final of the Rams’ tournament (she was in New York City for the Heisman ceremony; her brother, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, finished second in the voting), had a big night, leading the Bulldogs with 31 points.

The game turned most assuredly with five minutes to go in the second quarter. Rio Rancho’s top scorer, sophomore guard Madi Martinez, went to the bench with her third foul. The Rams didn’t score another field goal the rest of the half.

Meanwhile, Albuquerque High closed the first half with a 12-0 run — all of it after Martinez departed — including a 10-foot, one-handed runner at the buzzer by Pavia following a Ram turnover. Lailah Bouldin gave AHS the lead for good moments earlier with a 3-pointer, and a 21-20 lead. It was 26-20 at halftime.

“Huge,” Morrison said of Martinez’s absence. “That’s the leading scorer in the state right now, probably, and they feed off her energy, and it allowed us to do some things different defensively.”

The Bulldogs never trailed by less than seven for virtually the entire second half. The Rams went 11 game minutes without a field goal, a stretch in which AHS established a large lead and protected it well.

“We have an amazing team, an amazing group of girls,” said senior forward/post Savannah Combs, who scored 10 points. “Even though we haven’t been here before, we work like we have. Today, we came together the whole game and played through everything.”

She said the Bulldogs will be ready to face Hobbs on Saturday.

“They’re definitely a rough team to play against,” Combs said, “but I feel like we’re just as good.

The Rams (12-1) will face Kirtland Central for third place at 11 a.m. at Del Norte. Martinez still led Rio Rancho on Friday with 16 points, with 13 coming after halftime.

HOBBS 68, KIRTLAND CENTRAL 63: This was an unusual game filled with huge runs. The Broncos (11-2) and their suffocating pressure defense raced out to a 15-3 lead as they turned over the Eagles eight times in the game’s first four minutes.

Later in the half, Hobbs, trailing 20-9, went on a 17-0 run, with Kacelynn Muniez hitting a pair of 3s. Muniez buried five 3s and scored 19 points in the first half alone; she connected on back-to-back treys for a 32-22 lead with 2:50 to go before halftime.

Hobbs slowly extended that lead, and after eighth-grader Xoey Ross’ 3, the lead was all the way at 17 points, 55-38 with 7:15 remaining, before the Broncos got back to the type of relentless defense that got them that early lead in the first place.

Led by veterans Elaine Clani and Allyson Tsosie, who combined for 18 points in the fourth quarter, Kirtland Central staged a furious comeback.

“They were desperate, they were getting after it, trapping all over the place,” Hobbs coach Joe Carpenter said.

Hobbs was up nine at 63-54 with 2 ½ minutes to go, but the Broncos soon caught the Eagles. Haylee Nocki nailed a 3, then there were baskets by Tsosie and Clani, and a low-post basket by Krista Tsingine-Yazzie to tie the game at 63 with 1:22 to go, and the large Kirtland crowd found its collective voice.

“I should have used some timeouts there,” Carpenter admitted. “I’m stubborn. I always think we’re in better shape than everyone, no matter what, and that we need to fight through this.”

With 1:03 left, Hobbs senior guard Aliana Armitige, surrounded by multiple Bronco defenders, somehow got a shot off and scored on a reverse layup for a 65-63 lead.

“I glanced up and saw that there was a little bit of an opening, so if I go for it, hopefully I make it,” she said.

Ross added a bucket with 37 seconds to go for a 67-63 lead. 

Clani had 23 points, Tsosie 18 for the Broncos.

Muniez led the Eagles with 24 points. Ross added 19 points.

“I think we got a little complacent (in the fourth quarter),” Muniez said, “but once we got it together, we were like, OK, we’re fine.”