2015 HOLIDAY HOOPS TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
Today, we take a tour of the basketball holiday basketball tournaments across the state of New Mexico. Several tournaments are on weather alert, with some being pushed back a day already.
Brackets & Previews
3rd ANNUAL VILLAGE OF LOS LUNAS
A mixture of teams from 6A to 4A in New Mexico to a pair of teams from El Paso, Texas will head to Valencia High School (Tome, NM) to participate in the Village of Los Lunas tournament.
The opening round features a match between two Top-25 teams in the No. 25 Pojoaque Valley Elks (8-1) squaring off with No. 21 Los Lunas Tigers (5-4). The Tigers feature a talented 2017 class of players in Martin Trujillo, Hunter Wisneski, and Kayden Walker. Pojoaque Valley also a trio of juniors in Tevan Flowers, Dominic Roybal and James Garcia. This will be the match up of the tournament.
Other teams playing this week is unranked Atrisco Heritage Academy who is on a two game winning streak with two big wins, one over Top-25 La Cueva. Senior Estevan Martinez is a rising player leading the Jaguars with 16.5 points per game. Another metro area senior Braxton Bouyer leads the Manzano Monarchs against Alamogordo Tigers in a 6A battle.
Pick: Los Lunas Tigers
POE CORN INVITE
Each season the best 5A basketball tournament for the Holiday season takes place in Roswell, New Mexico at the Poe Corn Invitational. The tournament is held at Goddard High School and Roswell High School.
The tournament features one of the best teams in 5A basketball in the No. 11 Roswell Coyotes (7-1). The Coyotes features one of the best players in the classification as well in Daniel Amador who poured in 45 points in a tournament last week. They will take on the Los Alamos Hilltoppers in the opening game.
Another ranked team in the field is the No. 24 Farmington Scorpions (8-2) who have a championship on their belt this season at the Marv Sanders Invite. Their opening game will be against Artesia. The Bulldogs are struggling this season but each week they will only improve with the roster.
Another team coming into the tournament hot is Goddard Rockets who beat Hobbs in Hobbs.
The Pick: Roswell
HOBBS HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
The annual Hobbs Holiday tournament features teams from other states each year along with only a few New Mexico based teams. The tournament has been pushed back a day due to the weather in the SE corner.
The No. 14 Hobbs Eagles (5-4) will take on 4A St. Michael's in a revised bracket. Sandia from the Albuquerque Metro area will also participate in the tournament this season as they feature Caleb Warren who was ranked as one of the top prospects for the 2015-16 season. No. 15 Centennial High School from Las Cruces also boost the New Mexico side of teams as they are a Top-25 team on the rise. They feature some top players in Cesar Molina, who has returned from injury along with Alex Baez and newcomer to the watch list in Bryce Rewalt.
The Pick: Sandia
62nd STU CLARK TOURNAMENT
The Stu Clark is one of the best known tournaments in Northern New Mexico and will feature another quality field of teams in 2015. A pair of top-25 teams will in No. 25 West Las Vegas (7-0) and No. 20 St. Pius X (4-1) look to be favorites in this years pool.
The St. Pius X Sartans feature one of the top seniors in Emilio Arellano (SR) in what will be the match up of the tournament when the face a top 4A team and previously Top-25 ranked Silver Colts (4-2). West Las Vegas Dons will square off with Kirtland Central in the first round creating a match up of two quality 4A programs. The Dons feature one of the most known players in the state in DJ Bustos, the talented junior a Top-10 player over the summer in the NMPreps.com Top 60 players.
Other teams in the field are West Mesa from Albuquerque a 6A program who started ranked in the Top-25 and even moved up to 12th with an opening win over Sandia. Robertson the dark horse favorite in the field is a feisty but talented 4A team with some serious talent.
The Pick: St. Pius X
RIO RANCHO HOLIDAY ALLSTATE CLASSIC
Likely the top tournament in New Mexico this Holiday season is the Rio Rancho Classic. The field will have several Top-25 teams at Rio Rancho High School.
The No. 2 Albuquerque High Bulldogs open the tournament with 5A Aztec and will let NMPreps.com Mr. Basketball Candidate Gabe Bump (SR) show why he is one of the best players in the state. On the same side of the bracket is No. 8 Hope Christian Huskies (5-1) who take on the young Trojans of Mayfield (3-7) who are a dangerous 6A opponent for the Huskies.
On the bottom half of the bracket is the No. 18 Espanola Valley Sundevils (8-3) taking on the Las Cruces Bulldawgs a program that can't be taken lightly. The Sundevils have sophomore post Azaziah Salazar who has consistently played well on season. The 4-6 Bulldawgs have a sophomore of their own in point guard Markus Collins.
The host Rio Rancho Rams ranked No. 9 (NMPreps.com Top-25) will take on El Paso-Socorro (TX) in the opening round. The talented Rams have Brady Patterson and Juan Hurt but the roster is deep with three point shooter Javier Deleon and unknown Anthony Armijo who is a junior who needs more praise.
The Pick: Rio Rancho vs Albuquerque High - THE REMATCH
Today, we take a tour of the basketball holiday basketball tournaments across the state of New Mexico. Several tournaments are on weather alert, with some being pushed back a day already.
Brackets & Previews
3rd ANNUAL VILLAGE OF LOS LUNAS
A mixture of teams from 6A to 4A in New Mexico to a pair of teams from El Paso, Texas will head to Valencia High School (Tome, NM) to participate in the Village of Los Lunas tournament.
The opening round features a match between two Top-25 teams in the No. 25 Pojoaque Valley Elks (8-1) squaring off with No. 21 Los Lunas Tigers (5-4). The Tigers feature a talented 2017 class of players in Martin Trujillo, Hunter Wisneski, and Kayden Walker. Pojoaque Valley also a trio of juniors in Tevan Flowers, Dominic Roybal and James Garcia. This will be the match up of the tournament.
Other teams playing this week is unranked Atrisco Heritage Academy who is on a two game winning streak with two big wins, one over Top-25 La Cueva. Senior Estevan Martinez is a rising player leading the Jaguars with 16.5 points per game. Another metro area senior Braxton Bouyer leads the Manzano Monarchs against Alamogordo Tigers in a 6A battle.
Pick: Los Lunas Tigers
POE CORN INVITE
Each season the best 5A basketball tournament for the Holiday season takes place in Roswell, New Mexico at the Poe Corn Invitational. The tournament is held at Goddard High School and Roswell High School.
The tournament features one of the best teams in 5A basketball in the No. 11 Roswell Coyotes (7-1). The Coyotes features one of the best players in the classification as well in Daniel Amador who poured in 45 points in a tournament last week. They will take on the Los Alamos Hilltoppers in the opening game.
Another ranked team in the field is the No. 24 Farmington Scorpions (8-2) who have a championship on their belt this season at the Marv Sanders Invite. Their opening game will be against Artesia. The Bulldogs are struggling this season but each week they will only improve with the roster.
Another team coming into the tournament hot is Goddard Rockets who beat Hobbs in Hobbs.
The Pick: Roswell
HOBBS HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
The annual Hobbs Holiday tournament features teams from other states each year along with only a few New Mexico based teams. The tournament has been pushed back a day due to the weather in the SE corner.
The No. 14 Hobbs Eagles (5-4) will take on 4A St. Michael's in a revised bracket. Sandia from the Albuquerque Metro area will also participate in the tournament this season as they feature Caleb Warren who was ranked as one of the top prospects for the 2015-16 season. No. 15 Centennial High School from Las Cruces also boost the New Mexico side of teams as they are a Top-25 team on the rise. They feature some top players in Cesar Molina, who has returned from injury along with Alex Baez and newcomer to the watch list in Bryce Rewalt.
The Pick: Sandia
62nd STU CLARK TOURNAMENT
The Stu Clark is one of the best known tournaments in Northern New Mexico and will feature another quality field of teams in 2015. A pair of top-25 teams will in No. 25 West Las Vegas (7-0) and No. 20 St. Pius X (4-1) look to be favorites in this years pool.
The St. Pius X Sartans feature one of the top seniors in Emilio Arellano (SR) in what will be the match up of the tournament when the face a top 4A team and previously Top-25 ranked Silver Colts (4-2). West Las Vegas Dons will square off with Kirtland Central in the first round creating a match up of two quality 4A programs. The Dons feature one of the most known players in the state in DJ Bustos, the talented junior a Top-10 player over the summer in the NMPreps.com Top 60 players.
Other teams in the field are West Mesa from Albuquerque a 6A program who started ranked in the Top-25 and even moved up to 12th with an opening win over Sandia. Robertson the dark horse favorite in the field is a feisty but talented 4A team with some serious talent.
The Pick: St. Pius X
RIO RANCHO HOLIDAY ALLSTATE CLASSIC
Likely the top tournament in New Mexico this Holiday season is the Rio Rancho Classic. The field will have several Top-25 teams at Rio Rancho High School.
The No. 2 Albuquerque High Bulldogs open the tournament with 5A Aztec and will let NMPreps.com Mr. Basketball Candidate Gabe Bump (SR) show why he is one of the best players in the state. On the same side of the bracket is No. 8 Hope Christian Huskies (5-1) who take on the young Trojans of Mayfield (3-7) who are a dangerous 6A opponent for the Huskies.
On the bottom half of the bracket is the No. 18 Espanola Valley Sundevils (8-3) taking on the Las Cruces Bulldawgs a program that can't be taken lightly. The Sundevils have sophomore post Azaziah Salazar who has consistently played well on season. The 4-6 Bulldawgs have a sophomore of their own in point guard Markus Collins.
The host Rio Rancho Rams ranked No. 9 (NMPreps.com Top-25) will take on El Paso-Socorro (TX) in the opening round. The talented Rams have Brady Patterson and Juan Hurt but the roster is deep with three point shooter Javier Deleon and unknown Anthony Armijo who is a junior who needs more praise.
The Pick: Rio Rancho vs Albuquerque High - THE REMATCH
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