11th-seeded Rio Rancho reaches final
Rams stun Storm, will face Carlsbad
The early stages of this Class 6A boys basketball tournament went mostly according to form.
It’s the one team that defied the odds that continues to transform the Pit into its sandbox.
No. 11 seed Rio Rancho did it again Thursday night, leading from start to finish for the second straight game, and the Rams stunned rival Cleveland in the state semifinals.
“People don’t respect us,” Rio Rancho coach Wally Salata said — firmly, defiantly and almost angrily. “And I want these guys to be respected.”
This amazing postseason run will conclude Saturday night, when Rio Rancho (1812) meets Carlsbad (24-7) in the 8 o’clock championship game at the Pit. The Cavemen had an upset of their own, over Oñate in the early
semifinal Thursday.
No. 11 RIO RANCHO 49, No. 2 CLEVELAND 43:
It’s the first title game appearance for the Rams since 2007, when current Cleveland coach Brian Smith led Rio Rancho to a spectacular 30-1 season and a blue trophy.
“We wanted to get one (banner) in our gym this year, but good luck to Rio Rancho,” Smith said. “I hope they can pull it off.”
The Rams have in the past six days eliminated the No. 6 seed, the No. 3 seed and now the No. 2. And in each case, they avenged regular-season losses to that team.
Rio Rancho opened on an 11-2 run and never let the Storm (23-8) breathe.
“We couldn’t make a shot in that first quarter,” Smith said. “It seemed like there was a lid on the basket.”
Repeating a theme from Wednesday’s quarterfinal victory over Cibola, Rio Rancho never trailed. It wasn’t until the game’s final minute that the Storm even got within one possession of the Rams at 46-43.
But sophomore post Joe Elmalhy drained three free throws in the final 38 seconds, and Cleveland never was presented with a chance to tie this game.
Elmalhy had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Rams. He and fellow post Derrick Reyes combined for 23 points — one more than guards Clay Patterson (who scored 17, including the first 10 of the fourth quarter, most of them from the free-throw line) and Juan Hurt, who spearheaded the win with 44 combined points Wednesday.
“We are always looking for each other,” Elmalhy said. “We’re close, and we know where we are on the floor.”
Elmalhy and Reyes combined to go 9 of 15 from the floor (60 percent) on Thursday. Cleveland’s post defense was lagging throughout.
“A lot of that was because we got beat off the drive,” Smith said. “Our help side defense wasn’t good.”
Although Hurt scored just five points, he also had one of the key shots of the game, a 3-pointer just ahead of the third-quarter buzzer. Cleveland was inching closer at 31-25; that 3 stopped the Storm cold in its tracks.
“Every time Cleveland made a run,” Salata said, “we answered.”
No. 4 CARLSBAD 27, No. 1 OÑATE 25 (OT):
By any measure, this was one of the weirdest state semifinal games ever seen at the Pit. It was both fascinating and boring, if that’s even possible.
When it was over, Carlsbad — a school where basketball has often been considered an afterthought — was in the final for the first time since 1957. Carlsbad last won a title in 1955.
Chris Johnson’s layup 11 seconds into overtime was the only basket of the OT in what proved to be a glacially paced game.
With Oñate’s 6-foot-7 senior Johnny McCants having fouled out late in the fourth quarter, the Cavemen, when they won the tip in OT, immediately went inside.
“When you take the head off the snake, there’s only so long the snake can live,” Carlsbad coach Jamaal Brown said of Oñate losing McCants.
The Knights’ Dylan Beck was long on a 3-pointer at the end of overtime, and Oñate (25-5) was done.
Oñate was extraordinarily deliberate on the offensive end, often drawing boos from the crowd. During one stretch, the Knights held the ball for nearly all of the final 3:30 of the third quarter. This, Oñate coach Saul Perez, was necessary because McCants had foul issues.
“We knew they have the ability to spread teams out,” said Brown. “But we also knew that they haven’t played in as many close games as we have.”
The Cavemen led most of the fourth quarter, until Beck drilled a 25-foot 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 25-24 lead with 2:37 remaining in regulation.
Micah Calderon tied the game on a free throw with 51.8 seconds left.
Only three players scored for the Knights, led by Beck’s 13, and Oñate attempted only one free throw.