Rio Rancho's unbeaten boys and girls into metro semis, where several huge matchups await

No. 1, and still undefeated.

While neither Rio Rancho’s boys basketball team, nor La Cueva, the team ranked No. 3 in Class 5A, were probably happy to be seeing each other in this round of the Albuquerque Metro Championships, it was the Rams that managed to advance through this severe early tournament test, 65-58 over the Bears in a metro quarterfinal at West Mesa on Wednesday night.

This game featured 11 lead changes and six ties through three highly competitive quarters. Rio Rancho put together a 10-1 run in the early stages of the fourth quarter to finally gain separation.

Sophomore guard Dashon Bynum buried two crucial 3-pointers in the second half for the Rams (11-0), who are the only unbeaten team in Class 5A.

The first 3 was an answer to a La Cueva 3 at the other end just seconds earlier. The second of them broke a 46-all tie and sparked that crucial 10-1 run.

“Once I hit the first one,” Bynum said after a 15-point performance, “I started feeling it.”

And it was done almost on demand.

“I’m very proud of him,” Rio Rancho coach Steve Heredia said. “We challenged him right before the third quarter to be more assertive offensively, and he really rose to the occasion.”

The 10-1 run also included work by two of the Rams’ big men: a three-point play by Kayden Decker and a driving move to the hoop and finish by Cayden Richardson.

“We finally finished some easy baskets,” Heredia said. “(Earlier), we did a great job of getting to the rim with very minimal results. And we strung together some stops when it mattered.”

For La Cueva (8-3), it was the Bears’ first loss against a New Mexico rival this season; their previous two setbacks occurred at a tournament in Colorado last month.

Rio Rancho reached Friday’s metro semifinals along with Volcano Vista, Cleveland and Sandia.

The Rams will play the defending tournament champion Hawks at 7 p.m. Friday at Albuquerque High. They met on New Year’s Eve in the championship game of Rio Rancho’s holiday tournament, a game the Rams won 68-67 on a game-winner with 5 seconds to go.

“We’re definitely looking forward to playing Rio Rancho again,” Volcano Vista coach Greg Brown said.

Volcano Vista (9-2) was at Rio Grande on Wednesday night where the Hawks defeated Albuquerque High for the second time this season. The final was 49-38, as junior forward David Lunn led Volcano with 13 points.

The first boys semifinal on Friday, at 5:15 p.m., pairs Cleveland against Sandia.

The Storm (10-2) won 82-76 at Highland on Wednesday in the quarterfinals, while the Matadors (9-4) were 92-70 road winners at Cibola.

Cleveland made 13, 3-pointers in its victory Wednesday. Senior guard Remy Albrecht led the way with 33 points. Ajay Vigil added 17 points.

At Cibola, the Matadors, who shoot more 3s than any team in New Mexico, connected on 17 shots from behind the art in their road win against the Cougars.

Lavodrick Hogues had 21 points and four 3s, Isaiah Brown had 18 points and four 3s, Jacob Dawes scored 17 points with four 3s for the Matadors. George Smith, back in the lineup after a recent concussion last month, also scored 17 points for Sandia.

Girls

The metro semifinals are Friday at Del Norte. Three of the four quarterfinals were not competitive on Wednesday.

The first semi, at 5:15 p.m. Friday, features a rematch of the 2025 metro final, as Hobbs takes on Kirtland Central. Both the Broncos and the Eagles roared into the semis with lopsided quarterfinal victories.

At Volcano Vista, Kirtland Central (11-1) dominated the Hawks, 78-33. At La Cueva, the Eagles (13-2) posted an impressive 67-35 victory over the host Bears, a game that was closer than the final margin would indicate as Hobbs hit a flurry of shots in the second half.

“We’ve got our hands full,” Hobbs coach Joe Carpenter said of taking on a veteran Kirtland Central squad in the next round. Both these teams finished runner-up at state in their respective divisions last March. “They’re a very experienced team … we’re still young and inexperienced. We’re gaining experience as we go.”

Junior Kacelynn Muniez led Hobbs with 21 points. Jordyn Dyer had 22 of La Cueva’s 35 points.

For Kirtland Central, the Broncos got most everybody involved in the scoring ledger; Allyson Tsosie had a team-best 21 points. Haylee Nocki added 12 points.

At 7 p.m. Friday at Del Norte, No. 1-ranked Rio Rancho (12-0) will face No. 4 Albuquerque High (9-2). The Rams had a tough, 56-49 road win at Sandia on Wednesday in the quarters, while the Bulldogs, playing on their home floor, rolled 61-26 over Cleveland.

Rio Rancho got up by as many as 18 points in a big first half at Sandia. Madi Martinez had a team-high 24 points for the Rams.

For Albuquerque High, Abby Pavia led the Bulldogs with 26 points. Lailah Bouldin added 14 points and Savannah Combs 12.

No one, AHS coach Teri Morrison said, could immediately remember when or if AHS’ girls had reached the final four of metros.

“We’re excited to be that Albuquerque team,” she said. The Bulldogs met Rio Rancho in the final of the Rams’ tournament last month and dropped a 46-30 decision with a couple of players, including Pavia, not in the lineup that afternoon.

“We hope we’re at full strength,” Morrison said.