TUESDAY - 5A BASKETBALL
No. 2 Rio Rancho at No. 5 Cleveland
No. 3 Volcano Vista at No. 4 Atrisco Heritage
No. 9 Mayfield at Onate

Three to Tango: District 1-5A is tough. We all are aware of that and Tuesday night puts four of the top five in a square off as they all battle for the top slot in the district. However, all four could truly end up hosting a first round game in the playoffs.

Bubble: Mayfield could put Onate in huge jeopardy of missing out on the playoffs if they beat them on the road. This also puts two of the top players in the state against each other in Jorell Saterfield (Mayfield) and Ricky Lujan (Onate).

5A Starting Line-Up: Blaine Gallegos (Rio Rancho) vs Clayton Watson (Cleveland) will do battle on Tuesday night. This could be the x-factor in the outcome here. Expect a packed crowd.

TUESDAY - 4A BASKETBALL
No. 4 Hope Christian at Del Norte
No. 6 Highland at No. 8 Bernalillo
No. 11 Goddard at Portales

Playing into the Picture: Del Norte has been the roller coaster of a team this season. They look to be getting healthy and ready to jump back into the rankings. They have a tall order hosting the fourth ranked Hope Christian Huskies. Can Malik Barton (2020) overcome the depth the Huskies have in Johnny Nitafan (2019), Isaiah Dockery (2019), and Collin Evans (2020)?

Seat at the table: Highland and Bernalillo swapped spots in the New Mexico High School basketball rankings this week (No. 6/8). Highland is coming off impressive back to back wins over Del Norte and Albuquerque. Bernalillo dropped in the rankings and after an early week loss recovered against Albuquerque Academy to end the week. The match up here could be a conversation for DYOP in Erasmo Carreon (2020/Highland HS) and Reyes Herrera (2019/Bernalillo).

Bubble-Double: No. 11 Goddard took the week off as they prep for the district slate of games. What we also have here is a Portales team that moved "up" in classification and will look to back a 12-7 record. The hope to claim a playoff spot happens with this contest. They will have to contain Derek Carrica (2019) who has quietly held his own in 4A basketball this season.

Team Scores

1. Santa Fe - 527.5
2. Taos - 512.0
3. Robertson - 475.5
4. Los Alamos - 456.0
5. Moriarty - 366.5
6. Academy - 301.0
7. Capital - 290.5
8. Cobre - 290.0
8. Grants - 290.0
10. Pueblo Central - 286.0
11. Ruidoso - 284.5
12. West Las Vegas - 271.0
13. Socorro - 259.0
14. Española Valley - 258.0
15. Pecos - 219.0
16. Bernalillo - 159.5
17. Pojoaque Valley - 154.0
18. St. Michael's - 132.5
19. Foothill - 71.0
20. Tierra Encantada - 43.5

Team Scores

1. Cibola - 175.0
2. Farmington - 153.0
3. Volcano Vista - 150.0
4. Rio Grande - 144.5
5. Atrisco Heritage Academy - 143.0
6. Belen - 126.5
7. Bloomfield - 117.5
8. Santa Fe - 110.0
9. La Cueva - 107.0
10. Las Cruces - 98.5
11. Manzano - 94.5
12. Sandia - 90.0
13. Carlsbad - 89.0
14. Valencia - 80.0
15. Cobre - 76.0
16. Centennial - 75.0
17. Eldorado - 72.5
18. Hobbs - 71.0
19. Robertson - 67.0
20. St Pius X - 62.0
21. Albuquerque - 51.0
22. Miyamura - 49.5
23. Academy - 47.0
23. Capital - 47.0
25. Valley - 44.0
26. Pojoaque Valley - 39.0
27. Del Norte - 23.0
27. Highland - 23.0
29. St. Michaels - 22.0
30. West Mesa - 12.0
31. Oñate - 11.0
32. Mayfield - 8.0

Team Scores

1. Rio Rancho - 227.0
2. Cleveland - 184.5
3. La Cueva - 148.0
4. Atrisco Heritage Academy - 140.0
5. Cibola - 126.5
6. Volcano Vista - 107.5
7. Rio Grande - 103.0
8. Manzano - 81.5
9. Sandia - 70.0
10. Valley - 60.0
11. Eldorado - 33.0
12. Albuquerque - 23.0
13. Highland - 16.0
14. West Mesa - 8.0
15. Del Norte - 3.0

NMMI took 3 out of 4 games from this opening weekend series.

I believe I counted 17 NM kids on NMMI's roster plus several from the El Paso area.

Post your picks for must-see or important games here for this upcoming week.

What do you have?

Post stat lines and players here for Week Ten in girls hoops or text (281)-475-9953.



MONDAY 1/28

Jodeci Nious, Albuquerque (Jr.) - 23 points and 6 rebounds vs. Atrisco Heritage
Tiara Pendleton, Albuquerque (So.) - 13 points and 7 rebounds vs. Atrisco Heritage

Valencia High School is looking for 2 JV games to fill their schedule. Contact Carlos Carrasco at ccarrasco@llschools.net

Scholarship offer from Culvert-Stockton College

5A GIRLS BASKETBALL: PIT STOP (WEEK 10)

NMPreps.com’s look at the potential match-ups for the 2019 New Mexico High School Basketball State Tournament.

Current District Standings

District 1-5A
Volcano Vista – District Champion
Cleveland – DRUP
Rio Rancho – D3P
Atrisco Heritage – T-D4P
Cibola – T-D4P

District 2-5A
Piedra Vista – District Champion
West Mesa – DRUP
La Cueva – T-D3P
Farmington – T-D3P
Eldorado – D5P

District 3-5A
Mayfield – District Champion
Onate – T-DRUP
Alamogordo – T-DRUP
Centennial – D4P
Las Cruces – T-D6P
Deming – T-D6P
Gadsden – D7P


District 4-5A
Hobbs - District Champion
Carlsbad – DRUP
Clovis – D3P
Roswell - D4P

District 5-5A
Sandia – District Champion
Albuquerque – DRUP
Manzano – T-D3P
Capital -T-D3P
Santa Fe – D5P
Rio Grande – D6P


STATE TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS

HOST A FIRST ROUND GAME

1. Hobbs
2. Piedra Vista
3. West Mesa
4. La Cueva
5. Carlsbad
6. Farmington
7. Volcano Vista
8. Mayfield

The ceiling is capped for both PV and West Mesa at the 2-seed, but with PV so far leading District 2, they’re the favorite to win given how they dominated, for the most part, against West Mesa. A district finish ahead is the only way PV sticks that 2-seed, but the drop-off is not that bad if West Mesa does end up evening the series for a share of district title. Farmington has done itself a lot of good winning and has positioned themselves at their max ceiling for now at the 6-seed.


NEXT FOUR
9. Cleveland
10. Rio Rancho
11. Sandia
12. Alamogordo

Cleveland falls to the 9-seed and behind them is Rio Rancho. Sandia has to sweep their district or risk falling back even further if they sustain a bad loss in their district. Alamogordo has the slight edge on Onate, but that’s only with the head-to-head win and could fall back even if they finish the same in district.


BUBBLE
13. Onate
14. Centennial
15. Eldorado
16. Deming

These teams might be less so on the bubble. Centennial could make their move this second half of their district season. Eldorado is a few possessions away from getting back into their district race. After Friday’s Maxpreps rankings came out Deming moved ahead of Las Cruces (even finish but criteria points give it to the Lady Wildcats). That could change though and we could see Las Cruces back in the 16-spot.


FIRST FOUR OUT
17. Las Cruces
18. Clovis
19. Albuquerque
20. Manzano/Capital

****WEEK 10 SCOREBOARD (JAN 28 - FEB 2)*****

Post thoughts from this weeks games

WNMU has offered Hatch Valley DL Juan Chairez a scholarship.

Post your reactions and looking ahead takeaways here.

Post here for the Week 10, January 28th to February 2nd.

committed to ENMU

comitted to ENMU

Texico (18-3) at Santa Rosa (13-5)
Highland (10-7) vs Albuquerque (5-12)
Quemado (19-1) at Animas (13-6)
Logan (16-4) at Fort Sumner (16-6)

With a quiet Saturday across the state our bring three for the day mixes in two small school division games. The must-see of the three is the Texico Wolverines at 18-3 taking on the Santa Rosa Lions (13-5). Both are putting in around 65 points per game and have been highly consistent. Dalton Thatcher (2019), 19.5ppg, has been one of the top players in small school basketball for a couple years. He looks to end his career on a high.

Highland (10-7) plays out of district, because APS schedule does that (among other strange things), and will take on former district foe Albuquerque High (5-12). Both could fight for a playoff spot, Highland is in a better place, but both have a chance to finish near the top of their district or in the top three-ish.

Quemado will try and out shoot the Animas Panthers. Fort Sumner will look to make it 2-0 against Logan this summer, the first one went into OT (67-59). New name is Dyson Day (2019) for Logan who looks to even the season series up at 1-1. Day is putting in 19 points per game this season

Notable Friday Scores

Volcano Vista 62 Rio Rancho 33
Mayfield 51 Alamogordo 42
Centennial 41 Onate 37
Manzano 60 Albuquerque 55
Kirtland Central 45 Aztec 31
Miyamura 48 Bloomfield 45
St. Pius X 27 Belen 25
Highland 32 Del Norte 19
Hatch Valley 55 Socorro 36
Sandia Prep 58 Cuba 41
East Mountain 53 Cottonwood Classical Prep 35
Mescalero Apache 58 Lordsburg 54
Texico 61 Clayton 44

Friday's Top Players

Jaelyn Bates, Volcano Vista - 23 points vs. Rio Rancho
Juliana Aragon, Bernalillo - 24 points vs. Academy
Marissa Weldon, Los Lunas - 21 points vs. Grants
Fallon Velasquez, Mescalero Apache - 19 points vs. Lordsburg
Maddison Williams, Hatch Valley - 17 points vs. Socorro


RUNDOWN OF TODAY'S GAMES

NMPREPS.COM Game of the Week
#4 Piedra Vista at #6 La Cueva
A long week off since their dominant win over West Mesa, Piedra Vista makes the trip back down to the metro to take on Kaya Ingram and the La Cueva Lady Bears. Two quality teams that rely on a small-ball approach, but La Cueva has relied more on their freshman core as of late: Rylie Ottman, Teona Savic, and Carolina Romero. The three have stepped up in big games so far, but with Kaya Ingram likely at full strength, it'll be an an interesting defensive assignment for the Piedra Vista Lady Panthers. Then again, PV has showed that they too have multiple offensive weapons (The Watson sisters, Hallie Blackie, Lanae Billy, Tiontai Woods) at their disposal and when they're generating turnovers and hitting shots like they did last week, they're almost unstoppable. This will be a must-see district match-up. Tip-off is set for 2:30 PM.

#4 Pecos at #2 Clayton
In their third game this week, Pecos is looking to make it four straight wins with a big showdown at Clayton. So far this season, it's been Cassaundra Muller and Brittney Martinez leading the way for the Lady Panthers. Meanwhile Clayton is looking to rebound from their disappointing district loss last night at Texico. Keegan Geary, Mandry Crisp, and Mercedes Sandoval will help lead the charge for the Lady Yellowjackets. Tough call for Clayton on the second night of a back-to-back.

#7 Magdalena at #10 Alamo Navajo
The short drive for the neighboring schools opens up the district rivalry back up. Magdalena is trying to keep pace with Estancia for the district lead while Alamo Navajo is trying to keep their two-game win streak alive. Magdalena has the favorable offensive personnel though with Nicole Bilbo and Kourtney Lewis. It'll take a lot for Alamo Navajo to defend those two while also trying to find their offense against tough opponents.

#5 Quemado at #4 Animas
Quemado is in the middle of a five-game winning streak and so far this season are 2-0 against Animas (one win in a tournament championship). The district has an unusual back-to-back home-away series against the same opponent. So this will be the first meeting between the two teams while they'll have to go back it against on Thursday. Animas will look to bounce back from their loss against Cliff.

Also, Check Out...
-Logan at Fort Sumner
-Pojoaque Valley at Moriarty
-Eldorado at West Mesa
-Jemez Valley at Pine Hill

Notable Thursday Scores

Los Alamos 69 Espanola Valley 59 (played at NNMC)
Hondo Valley 53 Gateway Christian 46
Tohatchi 47 Crownpoint 27
Des Moines 65 Roy/Mosquero 64 OT
Monte Del Sol 23 Desert Academy/Santa Fe Waldorf (Co-op) 22
Cliff 43 Animas 41


Thursday’s Top Player(s)

Fallon Velasquez, Mescalero Apache (Jr.) – 19 points vs. Mesilla Valley


Friday Night Games

#3 Hatch Valley at #7 Socorro
Big game in Class 3A to kick off district for the Lady Bears and Lady Warriors. Without having Silver to worry about anymore, this is the true clash of district contenders. Hatch has had one of their best seasons in recent memory and look to secure their top spot for their March run. Socorro will try to move up their post-season position with a district run and that includes having to make this home stand count. Player watch is Hatch Valley’s Tavyn Trujillo and Socorro’s Deysha Townshend.

#6 Lordsburg at #9 Mescalero Apache
Another big district match here as Lordsburg makes the long trek to Mescalero. Mescalero has made a run here winning three straight prior to this game. Lordsburg has also won three straight entering this key district game. Mescalero Apache will look to their junior Fallon Velasquez while Lordsburg will need a game from Anissa Plowman.

#13 Sandia Prep at #12 Cuba
This was supposed to be a bigger undefeated district showdown, but with Cuba losing on the road at Laguna-Acoma, they’ve fallen out of a favorable district position. Sandia Prep has been the big surprise heading into their district and while undefeated face this tough road test at Cuba. While Cuba is only 4-4 at home Sandia Prep is a woeful 1-4 on the road this season. A Cuba win and there’s a three-way tie atop District 5-3A.

#15 Centennial at #10 Onate
Sitting back in the fourth spot behind Mayfield, Onate and Alamogordo, Centennial has not performed up to their potential given the games they’ve been close in. Again, they’ve put themselves here with two homes losses early and now have to go on the road to get the wins to climb the district standings. It starts tonight as the second half of district play begins.

#18 Albuquerque at #19 Manzano
Albuquerque has overachieved this district season. With runner-up favorites in Manzano and Capital, Albuquerque showed out so far that they’re possible contenders despite their record. This will be a quality road test for them prior to their meeting with district leading Sandia next week. It’ll be an interesting test given the Lady Bulldogs have found their offense in the best stretch all season averaging close to 70 points per game in this four-game stretch. Manzano will definitely have their hands full, but they do have a potent offense especially in the likes of the hot shooting Mya Williams.


Other Games to Note

#13 Rio Rancho at #5 Volcano Vista – A big opportunity for the Lady Rams to get a win here against a tough Volcano Vista team.

#11 St. Pius X at #15 Belen – Belen has had a tough stretch but should be back in their best form yet when St. Pius comes to town. Pius has had offensive woes through this entire season, so if Belen can find some quality offense, we could see an upset in 4A.

#17 Valley at #7 Hope Christian – Another upset watch as the quick and tenacious Valley squad head to the tall and gritty Hope Christian school for an important district meeting. A potential upset could happen here given Valley’s poor home stand to Highland.

Match-ups you'd like to see in 2019, for teams who don't or have not played each other. If you could who would go head to head in a regular season game.

Valley over Hope
Rio Rancho over Volcano Vista