Hawks lose, but they also win
Volcano Vista clinches 1-5A regular season
Atrisco Heritage won the battle. Volcano Vista won District 1-5A’s war.
The Jaguars, the defending bigschool state boys basketball champions, closed out the regular season in style Thursday night with a 63-57 win over the visiting Hawks. It was the perfect stage-setter for the 1-5A tournament that begins Tuesday.
“It’s real simple,” Atrisco Heritage coach Adrian Ortega said. “If we share the ball, we’re a pretty good team.”
But despite the loss, No. 2-ranked Volcano Vista (20-4, 6-2) clinched the regular-season title in New Mexico’s most grueling district because of second-place Rio Rancho’s 77-64 loss Thursday to Cleveland.
“It’s rewarding to win a district like ours, but we didn’t play well tonight,” Hawks coach Greg Brown said.
Forward Marquis Crawford scored 12 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter as seventh-ranked Atrisco Heritage (18-6, 5-3), with a large home crowd looking on, held off Volcano Vista in a game that the Jaguars didn’t truly secure until the final minute.
“Our team is the defending champs. They’re not afraid of anybody,” said Ortega. “It’s nice to see us peaking at the right time.”
Of note, Atrisco Heritage has victories over Volcano Vista, Rio Rancho and Cleveland this season as the 1-5A tournament opens Tuesday with Cibola visiting Cleveland.
Atrisco Heritage plays host to the winner of that game Wednesday. Then it’s No. 2 seed Rio Rancho hosting the semifinal game next Friday and top-seeded Volcano Vista at home for the final a week from Saturday.
The Hawks didn’t know they clinched until the drive home from Atrisco Heritage.
“Mixed emotions,” Brown said later by phone. “We consider it an accomplishment, and we feel good about it, but we also know that we were on the receiving end of some good bounces.”
Rio Rancho and Atrisco Heritage finished tied for second place in the district, but the Rams have the tiebreak edge because they swept the Jaguars in league play.
Crawford and junior guard Joziah Ramos were fantastic for Atrisco Heritage in the second half. Crawford had 16 of his 20 after halftime, Ramos 15 of his 19 in the second half.
“As a team, we know what we’re doing,” said Crawford. “And we’re under a great coach.”
Crawford said Atrisco Heritage is putting everything together just in time for March.
“It’s not gonna be easy,” he said, “but we’re not gonna give it up easy. We’ll have to work for it.” — James Yodice CLEVELAND 77, RIO RANCHO 64:
At Rio Rancho, sophomore forward Tre Watson had 24 points as No. 6-ranked Cleveland beat the fifthranked Rams for the fifth time in a row.
“That’s a tough team to beat five times in a row, especially a rival,” said Cleveland coach Sean Jimenez. “We’ll probably see them again next week. We’ve got to take care of business. I’m just glad the way these boys responded — in our five losses, we’ve had double-digit leads like this and let them get away.”
The Storm (21-5, 4-4) closed out the first period on a 7-2 run to take the lead for good and held a comfortable 34-22 lead at halftime.
The Rams got no closer than nine in the second half — when Rio Rancho coach Wally Salata learned Volcano Vista had lost to Atrisco Heritage and a Rams win would have meant a playoff game Tuesday to determine the top seed in the district tournament.
The Rams (19-7, 5-3) were led by forward Blaine Gallegos, with 15 points, and guard David Patterson, with 27 — 23 coming in the second half.
“We could be 8-0 (in district), we really could,” Jimenez said. “That’s why I say we’re not worried about (our record). The state tournament seeding is just a number in front of you; you’ve got to play four good teams to win it anyway.”