Storm, Mustangs win titles
Volcano Vista boys miss last-second try
Act one will be very tough to follow.
In the first of what will likely be several clashes this season between the two clubs, No. 1 seed Cleveland held off a furious Volcano Vista fourth-quarter rally and hung on for a 71-70 victory over the second-seeded Hawks in the Albuquerque Metro Championships final Saturday night at Volcano Vista.
Joshua Tarry scored a gamehigh 20 points for Cleveland, and Aamer Muhammad snapped a 69-69 tie by hitting both ends of a one-and-one free-throw situation with 14.4 seconds left.
“We knew they would make an attempt to come back, so we just had to stay steady,” Tarry said after the win.
Tarry, surrounded by highflying teammates, did yeoman’s work under the basket, while also making three 3-pointers for Cleveland. “I always joke that I keep everyone grounded. I’m the steady guy, I rebound, I make layups, and I do the dirty work.”
Jalontae Gray had a chance to tie the game for Volcano Vista, earning two free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining after a drive to the basket resulted in a foul. Gray hit the first one, but his second attempt rolled off the rim.
Cleveland had a chance to extend the lead when Aidan Moreno rebounded Gray’s missed free throw and was fouled, but missed both attempts.
Volcano Vista (11-2) had a good look at a potential game-winning 3 after Moreno’s miss, but freshman Ja’Kwon Hill’s shot was just off the mark.
“They imposed their will on us, and we were having to play catch-up throughout the night,” said Volcano Vista coach Greg Brown of Cleveland. “We didn’t give up and hung in there. It seemed like we needed things to go our way because we dug ourselves such a hole. They made a couple more plays down the stretch than we did.”
The Storm (15-1) saw a 60-45 lead late in the third quarter erased by a Volcano Vista 18-2 spurt that was capped by a Gray free throw, which gave the Hawks a 63-62 lead, their only lead of the night.
Cleveland’s Nakqi Smith responded with a go-ahead 3 on the ensuing possession, and Tarry scored on an inside post move on the Storm’s next possession, thus opening a four-point lead. Cleveland did not trail again. “We’re going to see them another two, three, four times, and it’s going to be a good rivalry,” said Cleveland coach Sean Jimenez. “This tournament is a tough, four games in a five-day grind. It’s a state tournament atmosphere. … I think this tournament really helps us prepare for the state tournament down the road.”
The teams will meet in a District 1-5A opener Jan. 22.
Girls
Top-ranked and top-seeded West Mesa extended its unbeaten record to 13-0 and captured its third straight Metro championship trophy. The Mustangs dealt No. 2 seed (and third-ranked) La Cueva its first loss of the season with a 46-38 victory, also at Volcano Vista.
Missing starting point guard Esperanza Varoz, who was injured in Friday’s semifinal victory against Rio Rancho, Mustangs point guard Maiah Rivas picked up some of the scoring slack, scoring a game-high 16 points.
Rivas stemmed a La Cueva third-quarter rally picking up a steal near half court as the clock wound down, turned left and fired a 3-point attempt that rattled through the rim at the buzzer.
Rivas’ long-range 3 opened a 34-25 lead heading to the fourth quarter, and the Bears came no closer than six points the rest of the way.
“Yeah, without Esperanza it was more difficult. But we have a great group and the rest of the girls had to step up,” said West Mesa coach Manny Otero. “(La Cueva) made some good adjustments, but we made enough (shots) today to get by.”
Rylie Ottman scored nine points to lead La Cueva (11-1).
THIRD-PLACE GAMES: Atrisco Heritage’s boys hit 16 3-pointers in an 83-73 victory over Eldorado at Volcano Vista.
Junior guard Joziah Ramos had eight 3s for the Jags and finished with 41 points. Tyler Quintana for Eldorado also had 8 3s and led the Eagles with 30 points. Eldorado finished with 10 makes from beyond the arc.
Also at Volcano Vista, the Hawks downed District 1-5A rival Rio Rancho 49-36 in the girls’ third-place contest.
Journal Staff Writer James Yodice contributed to this story.