NMAA boys state basketball tournament: first-round scores and summaries

This story will be updated as game summaries become available.

Class 5A

—> (1) Volcano Vista 64, (16) Santa Fe 37

At Volcano, Luis Gonzales was 4-for-6 from the arc and scored a team-best 19 points, as the Hawks (23-5) dismissed the Demons (16-14).

David Lunn contributed 15 points and five assists for Volcano Vista as it won its 17th straight postseason contest.

—> (8) Las Cruces 61, (9) Albuquerque 45

Las Cruces, a previous No. 1-ranked team this season, dismissed ninth-seeded Albuquerque High 61-45. The Bulldawgs (25-5) outscored AHS 35-20 in the middle two quarters.

(5) Hobbs 81, (12) Organ Mountain 62

—> (4) La Cueva 77, (13) Atrisco Heritage 47

At La Cueva, the Bears started extremely fast, led by 6-7 senior forward Hunter Butler, who had 11 of his game-best 24 points in the opening eight minutes.

La Cueva (23-6) was up 23 in the first half and coasted past the outmatched Jaguars (18-11).

“That’s the plan, no mercy,” said Butler. “We’re gonna come out and show them they have no chance — quickly.”

La Cueva will face Hobbs in the quarterfinals; these two teams also met in the first round of January’s Albuquerque Metro Championships.

CJ Johnson added 12 points, Payton Fuller 11 as 11 different Bears found the scoring column.

Deon Session scored 15 points to lead Atrisco Heritage.

– James Yodice, Journal staff writer

—> (3) Rio Rancho 66, (14) Mayfield 61

The Trojans (16-12) didn’t perform like a 14 seed, as they stood toe-to-toe with the Rams the whole way and took this game deep into the final minute before Rio Rancho (25-5) finally put it away at the line.

“I’ve never believed in the number next to the name. When it’s playoffs, it’s win or go home,” Rio Rancho coach Steve Heredia said.

Senior forward Kayden Decker helped bring the Rams back from a 14-point hole as Mayfield scored 18 of the game’s first 22 points. The Trojans were 11-of-11 from the line in the first quarter; Fernando Corona had seven points in that early surge for Mayfield.

Read full game story

— James Yodice, Journal staff writer

—> (6) Sandia 77, (11) Farmington 56

At Sandia, The Matadors (21-9) raced out to an 11-2 lead and never looked back against the Scorpions.

Sophomore guard Isaiah Brown led the way for the Matadors with 17 points, while Malachi Knox (11), Lavodrick Hogues (10) and Gad Harris (10) all reached double figures for Sandia.

Farmington (18-11) got to within 24-17 in the second quarter, but that was as close as it would get. Sandia closed the half on an 11-4 run to go up 35-21 and led by double digits the rest of the way. The Scorpions struggled with the speed and athleticism of the Matadors, who were able to force numerous turnovers, get to the rim and score in transition with regularity. 

Down 45-25 with 5:00 remaining in the third quarter, Farmington briefly threatened to make things interesting with a 10-0 run that included 3-pointers from Dayton Bizzell and Sataurus Griego. However, Brown scored six points during an ensuing 9-2 burst as Sandia extended its lead to 17 at 54-37, effectively removing any further drama from the contest down the stretch. 

Bizzell finished with 15 points to lead the Scorpions, while Zander Griego added 11. 

—Tristen Critchfield, for the Journal

(10) Carlsbad 52, (7) Centennial 47

—> (2) Cleveland 86, (15) Alamogordo 51

In Rio Rancho, the Storm (24-6) were just brilliant from the arc, connecting on 15 out of 25 tries as Cleveland blasted the Tigers (17-12) to advance.

Cannon Cole had seven 3s and 27 points for Cleveland. Remy Albrecht added 23 points for the Storm.

Class 4A

—> (1) Highland 76, (16) Grants 31

At Highland, the Hornets (24-4) had no trouble whipping their district rivals for the third time this season.

Highland held Grants (11-17) to a total of nine combined points in the middle two quarters.

Big man Jerry Moody had a team-best 20 points for Highland. Guards Nico Sanchez, Juan Limas and Fedi Nunez each scored 15 points for the Hornets.

—> (9) Portales 71, (8) Belen 60

In Belen, a strong start by Portales guard Aiden Maestas and a big finish by 6-7 power forward Pierce Culpepper carried the Rams to victory.

Belen (18-12) built a 9-2 first-quarter lead, but Maestas, a sophomore, answered with 10 points to put Portales (15-13) in front 19-13 in what was a frenzied first eight minutes featuring turnovers and fast-break baskets.

The Eagles responded with a barrage of 3-pointers to trail 29-27 at the half.

After scoring just two points in the first 16 minutes, Culpepper made amends with 18 points in the second half while controlling the boards and intimidating defensively.

“I think we played together as a team,” Culpepper, a junior, said. ”We just moved the ball and rebounded.”

Belen trailed 56-39 heading into the fourth quarter, but cut the deficit to seven points on a steal and bucket by Pablo Aguilar, who led the Eagles with 19 points. That was as close as Belen would get.

“We could have handled the ball a little better, made some shots,” said Donald Marquez, Belen coach. “It could have been a different game.”

Five Portales seniors will now get to play in the Pit for the first time. “It means the world for them to make it,” Culpepper said. “It means the world to me helping them get there."

– Mike Powers, Valencia County News-Bulletin

—> (5) Taos 59, (12) St. Pius 47

In Taos, the fifth-seeded Tigers (24-5) fought off a game challenge from No. 12 St. Pius (11-16), finally pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 59-47 victory.

—> (4) Del Norte 52, (13) Valencia 36

At Del Norte, Francois Satchivi led the way with 16 points as the Knights (19-10) throttled the Jaguars (15-13).

After a closely-contested opening period, Del Norte broke open the game by outscoring Valencia 18-5 in the second quarter. Nathan Padilla poured in seven of his nine points in the quarter for the Knights, who frustrated the Jaguars with their length and activity on defense.

Valencia’s best opportunity for a rally came at the outset of the third, when a pair of 3s from Jared Porter and a three-point play from center Jai Russ brought the Jaguars to within 32-24. That turned out to only be a glimmer of hope, as Del Norte scored the final seven points of the period and led by double figures the rest of the way. The Knights closed out the victory by making eight of 10 free throws in the game’s waning moments. 

Mumin Omer added 10 points for Del Norte, while Carin Bustillos paced Valencia with 12. Del Norte also defeated Valencia 54-46 in the Knights season opener on Dec. 2.

– Tristen Critchfield, for the Journal

—> (3) Hope Christian 84, (14) Pojoaque Valley 75

At Hope, the host Huskies were on upset alert through most of three quarters before they found their form and unleashed a 15-0 run to close the third quarter which allowed them to turn around a nine-point deficit to the Elks.

“They really had us going there for a while,” Hope coach Jim Murphy said. “It's state tournament time, March Madness. So everybody's gonna be really good. But our guys responded at the end. And with the pressure of going home, the guys stepped up and hit some big shots and made some shots down the stretch.”

Huskies forward Brayden Giron turned in a huge game with 30 points. Landon Cochran added 18 for Hope (22-8) and Isaac Aaron had 10.

The Elks (14-15) built their lead that stretched to 55-46 with 3:37 left in the third quarter with a dozen 3-pointers, including four by Joziah Salazar, who had 20. Serafin Mendez added 17 for Pojoaque.

After Salazar opened the fourth with a 3 to cut it to 61-58, the Huskies ran off another eight straight to gain control, with Giron starting the run on consecutive banked-in layups.

A big key to the game was the free throw line, where Hope, which pounded it in low frequently to get easy buckets or fouls, went 22-for-37, while the Elks were 13-18.

– Glen Rosales, for the Journal

(6) ABQ Academy 63, (11) Goddard 56

(7) Gallup 48, (10) Silver 37

—> (2) Artesia 73, (15) Bloomfield 33

No. 2 Artesia (23-5) opened its title defense by pulverizing Bloomfield 73-33 in the first round. Braylon Vega led the Bulldogs with 15 points.

Class 3A

(1) St. Michael’s 84, (16) Wingate 27

(8) Tohatchi 61, (9) N.M. Military Institute 50

(5) Santa Fe Indian 65, (12) Sandia Prep 42

(4) Navajo Prep 72, (13) Hot Springs 55

(3) Cobre 68, (14) Ruidoso 53

—> (6) Bosque School 43, (11) Cottonwood Classical Prep 41

Luca Kalishman is keenly aware of what he can — and can’t — do.

Case in point: At the end of Bosque School’s practices, the Bobcats line up and shoot half-court shots, one-by-one. Practice isn’t formally over until somebody — anybody — makes one.

And for everything the explosive junior guard gives Bosque in games, Kalishman has yet to close out practice.

“I never make it,” he said Saturday night. “So, I went down and I’m like, ‘I gotta get a lay-in.’”

In the most pivotal moment of the Bobcats’ season, Kalishman did exactly that, taking the ball the length of the court and laying it in right before the buzzer to lead sixth-seeded Bosque to a 43-41 win over No. 11 Cottonwood in the opening round of the boys Class 3A tournament.

Kalishman led the Bobcats (18-10) with 13 points in a grinding, physical game that seemed destined for overtime after Cottonwood’s Ayden Skeets’ 3-pointer tied it at 41 with a little under 10 seconds left in regulation.

Read full game story

—> (10) Robertson 64, (7) East Mountain 60

Defending state champion Robertson went on the road and eliminated the seventh-seeded Timberwolves 64-60. The Cardinals were the only lower-seeded team to win in the first round.

(2) Tularosa 76, (15) West Las Vegas 73

Class 2A

(1) Texico 69, (16) Clayton 18

(9) Mora 50, (8) Tucumcari 47

(5) Mesilla Valley 61, (12) Dulce 42

(4) Santa Rosa 78, (13) Eunice 44

(3) Mesa Vista 80, (14) Hozho Academy 56

(6) Rehoboth Christian 46, (11) Oak Grove Classical 39

(10) Menaul 58, (7) Escalante 55

(2) Pecos 52, (15) Mescalero Apache 22

Class 1A

(1) Logan 85, (16) Quemado 58

(8) Cliff 70, (9) To’hajiilee 55

(5) Alamo Navajo 54, (12) Grady 50

(4) Melrose 73, (13) Elida 43

(3) Cimarron 63, (14) Pine Hill 41

(6) Roy/Mosquero 48, (11) Mountainair 45

(7) Magdalena 50, (10) Springer 48

(2) Fort Sumner/House 66, (15) Gateway Christian 26