Sandia boys advance, and so does West Mesa

Rio Rancho girls win 1-6A playoff

La Cueva and Sandia won first-round games Tuesday night in the District 2-6A boys basketball tournament.

The fifth-seeded Matadors, squarely on the playoff bubble in Class 6A, won 55-50 at No. 4 seed Clovis on Tuesday night.

Third-seeded La Cueva, playing at home, downed No. 6 Manzano 77-61 with Thomas Jenson and Jake Washecka each scoring 20 points for the Bears.

La Cueva will play host to Sandia in a second-round game at 7 tonight, with the winner to travel to No. 2 Santa Fe in the semifinal game on Friday.

Sandia’s girls, seeded third, roughed up sixth-seeded Manzano 58-25 in the first round. Marisol Silva had a team-best 16 points for the Matadors.

DISTRICT 4-6A: West Mesa and Albuquerque High’s boys won first-round games Tuesday.

Marlon Cunningham and Randy Castillo scored 14 points apiece for the third-seeded Bulldogs, who routed No. 6 seed Highland 66-38.

Also at AHS, No. 4 seed West Mesa edged No. 5 Rio Grande 46-45. Jose Vigil had a teambest 14 points for the Mustangs, who are in nearly the exact same position as Sandia, needing a strong week to perhaps secure a spot in the state tournament.

DISTRICT 1-6A: Rio Rancho’s girls on Tuesday night defeated Volcano Vista 51-33 in the playoff game for top seeding position. The game was played at Cleveland.

The Rams will get the No. 1 seed and host the tournament final at 7:30 Saturday night. The Hawks will host the semifinal game at 7:30 Friday night.

Piedra Vista’s girls, seeded fifth, won 54-49 at No. 4 seed Cleveland on Tuesday night and the Panthers will be at No. 3 seed Cibola tonight.

Volcano Vista’s boys, who suffered a double-digit loss to Piedra Vista on Saturday, beat the Panthers on Tuesday night in the first round of the 1-6A tournament. The Hawks will be at No. 3 seed Cibola tonight in the second round.

DISTRICT 5-5A: At St. Pius, the Sartan girls downed Valencia 55-43 in the first round. Maya Trujillo led the Sartans with 22 points. Next is a semifinal game against Belen on Thursday night in Albuquerque. DISTRICT 2-5A: Del Norte’s third-seeded girls downed Capital 45-29 in a second-round game, sending the Knights into the semifinal game Thursday at No. 2 seed Albuquerque Academy.

The Del Norte boys won at home, beating Los Alamos 53-40, as the third-seeded Knights advanced to the semifinals on Thursday at No. 2 seed Española Valley.