Victorious Menaul now faces No. 1 team

RIO RANCHO — Michael Ou scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds as the fifth-seeded Menaul Panthers held off fourthseeded Mora in a 67-65 thriller in Class 2A boys quarterfinal play on Wednesday at Cleveland High School.

The Panthers (25-5) are in the semifinals today at Santa Ana Star Center against top-seeded, 28-1 Magdalena.

No. 3 Mesilla Valley Christian was the other early survivor into the semifinals, thumping No. 6 Logan 77-57 in a quarterfinal at Rio Rancho High School.

Mesilla Valley next gets Fort Sumner/House. No. 5 MENAUL 67, No. 4 MORA 65: Carlos Fuentes added 18 points and Derek Pyle 11 for the Panthers, who had to rally from a seven-point deficit early in the fourth period.

Carlos Arellano led Mora with 16 points while Jerome Pacheco added 14 and Tristan Valdez 10. Mora (21-8) had 22 baskets to Menaul’s 18, but the Panthers’ brutal efficiency (27 of 31) from the foul line made up for it. No. 3 MESILLA VALLEY CHRISTIAN 77, No. 6 LOGAN 57: Michael Johnson had 18 points and was one of five MVC players in double figures. Mesilla Valley Christian (22-3) shot 51 percent from the field.

Coltin Roach scored 21 points for Logan (14-12). He also had a team-high nine rebounds. No. 1 MAGDALENA 60, No. 8 GATEWAY CHRISTIAN 51: Kyle Julian scored 51 points and Richie Chavez had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the winners, who led 41-23 after three quarters and coasted. Jaydon Stephens hit three 3-pointers and had a gamehigh 22 points and 10 rebounds for Gateway Christian (21-9). No. 2 FORT SUMNER/HOUSE 73, No. 10 ESCALANTE 39: Brant West scored 23 points and Jude Segura added 14 for FSH (22-6), which shot 61 percent from the field in the second half. Justin Garcia’s 14 points paced the Lobos (15-14).