Prep basketball: Imposing (Volcano Vista, Sandia boys) and surprising (Academy girls) teams win district titles
Feb. 25—The teams that will almost certainly be seeded No. 1 and No. 2 for the Class 5A boys basketball playoffs sail into the postseason riding a crest of momentum.
Volcano Vista hammered Cleveland 70-42 in the District 1-5A tournament final on Saturday night, while Sandia put together one of its best games of the season as the Matadors handled West Mesa 65-44 in the District 2-5A final.
Other highlights from Saturday included the La Cueva girls upsetting Farmington and the Albuquerque Academy girls playing their way into the state tournament with an upset victory over Hope Christian in the District 6-4A title game.
Los Lunas' boys, Albuquerque High's girls, Albuquerque Academy's boys and St. Pius' girls also won district tournament championships on Saturday in the metro area.
Sandia's big three — Andrew Hill, Dalen Moyer and Ely Lovato — combined for 41 points, and Thomas Adams gave the Matadors a huge shooting spark in the second quarter as Sandia (23-5) rode an 18-0 run in that quarter to take control.
The Matadors at one point made four consecutive 3-pointers, two by Adams, to go in front 30-19 after trailing the fourth-ranked Mustangs (21-8) 19-12.
Elijah Brody of West Mesa, the District 2-5A player of the year, had 20 points to lead the Mustangs.
At Volcano Vista, the defending state champion Hawks (25-1) never trailed against the one team that beat them, the Storm (20-8).
Cleveland did pull within two at 35-33 with 3:25 left in the third quarter, but Volcano Vista closed the game on a 35-9 burst.
Kenyon Aguino led the Hawks with 17 points. Sean Alter added 14. Cleveland guard Daniel Steverson, the 1-5A player of the year, had a team-best 15 points.
n In Los Lunas, the Tigers (23-6) got up early, and were never really threatened as they beat Santa Fe (18-11) 54-45 in the District 5-5A final. Jalin Holland had 24 points and nine rebounds for Los Lunas.
n At Academy, the Chargers, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, beat No. 3 Hope Christian 74-57 to capture the 6-4A tournament crown.
A.J. Rivera had 17 points for Academy (23-3), Dillon McCleskey 16 and Justin Mask 15 in the victory. The Chargers made six 3s in a big first quarter — three from McCleskey, a junior — as Academy led by 18 points early.
n In Farmington, La Cueva's girls got two late 3-pointers from Toni Lucero, including what proved to be the game-winner with about a minute to go, as the fifth-ranked Bears (21-7) edged the second-ranked Scorpions (24-3) 36-35 in the 2-5A final. Alexis Ayers had 11 points to lead La Cueva.
n At Albuquerque High, the eighth-ranked Bulldogs (25-2) easily beat Manzano 59-24 in the District 5-5A girls championship game.
Ariana Sanchez led the Bulldogs with 20 points. Leilani Love had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Jazmyn Griego dished out six assists.
n Academy's girls in District 6-4A locked up a playoff bid with a 54-48 victory on the Huskies' floor Saturday night. It was Academy's first district tournament title since 2011.
Noelani Montoya had 16 points, Addie Spratley 15 for Academy (13-15) as the Chargers' inside players took advantage of the lengthy absences of Hope Christian post Kathleen Obisike, who was in foul trouble throughout.
n In the afternoon, St. Pius (20-5) dominated Highland 69-40 in the District 5-4A girls final. Alyssa Maes had a season-high 30 points, and Desirey Ortiz grabbed a dozen rebounds for the Sartans.
The state tournament brackets will be announced at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Gary Herron of the Rio Rancho Observer contributed to this story.
