Basketball Roundup: The end of the season is closing in

Cleveland High School

BoysThe Storm boys are running hot, grabbing victories in seven of their last nine matchups. It’s a good thing, too, because the season is coming to an end and playoff seeding is looming. CHS is 17-7 (6-2 in 5A-1), good for second in the district. They’re ranked fifth in the state, according to MaxPreps.

The Storm have been a little inconsistent this season but are hitting their stride at the right time. Some juggernaut teams await them in the playoffs, but with junior Remy Albrecht at the helm, the Storm are always a threat to make a big run.

Cleveland finishes their season on Feb. 21 with a road game at Rio Rancho High School.

Feb. 6 – CHS 65, Cibola 56

Feb. 12 – Farmington 76, CHS 68

Feb. 14 – CHS 90, Piedra Vista 54

Feb. 19 — @ Volcano Vista, 7 p.m.

Feb. 21 — @ Rio Rancho, 7 p.m.

GirlsThe Storm girls have had a solid season under first-year head coach Stacy Pokorski. Despite dropping three of their last five games, the Storm are on the upswing thanks to a big victory against a stout Piedra Vista squad.

The team is 13-11 (5-3 in 5A-1) going into the final stretch. They’re third in the district and ranked 18th in the state, according to MaxPreps.

Savannah Madueno leads the team with 11.8 points-per-game (ppg). She’ll need that offense heading into the playoffs. Luckily Malia Mose and Erin Winters are two of the district’s top scorers and they are both starting to click.

Feb. 7 – CHS 60, Cibola 37

Feb. 11 – Farmington 57, CHS 45

Feb. 13 – CHS 66, Piedra Vista 50

Feb. 18 – vs Volcano Vista, 7 p.m.

Feb. 20 – vs Rio Rancho, 7 p.m.

Rio Rancho High SchoolBoysThe Rams boys have cooled off since opening the season with a 10-2 streak. They’ve dropped nine of their last 12 games and looked to be in crisis mode heading into the end of the season. But head coach Wally Salata seems to be pulling his team out of the tailspin after a big win on Feb. 14 against rival Cibola, 74-62.

At one time, the Rams were ranked in the top five in the state. That has since dropped significantly, to 16, but teams would be unwise to underestimate the Rams. They still have an above-500 record, standing at 13-11 (2-6 in 5A-1), and Noah Lovato, the top scorer (20.8 ppg) in District 5A. In fact, the Rams boast four of the top 10 scorers in the state. Noah Lovato (third with 20.8 ppg), Kayden Decker (sixth with 17.1), Chris Lucero (eighth with 16.8) and Kai Bradford (10th with 16.4) will all look to lead their team to glory in the state championships March 7-15.

Feb. 6 – Farmington 67, RRHS 57

Feb. 12 – Volcano 83, RRHS 61

Feb. 14 – RRHS 74, Cibola 62

Feb. 19 – vs Piedra Vista, 7 p.m.

Feb. 21 – vs Cleveland, 7 p.m.

GirlsThe Rams girls have won four of their last six games and are riding a 15-9 (4-4 in 5A-1) record going into the final matchups of the season. They’re ranked 11th in the state, according to MaxPreps.

It’s been a difficult season for the Rams. Every team has ups and downs throughout a season, but the Rams have had to overcome more than most. Head Coach Lori Mabrey was out most of the season with personal issues.

Luckily, Coach Mabrey can once again be seen gracing the sidelines at Rams games, and the resulting morale boost can be seen on the court, as evidenced by their 65-42 drubbing of Cibola on Feb. 13.

Feb. 7 – Farmington 45, RRHS 42

Feb. 10 – Volcano 50, RRHS 46

Feb. 13 – RRHS 65, Cibola 42

Feb. 18 — @ Piedra Vista, 7 p.m.

Feb. 20 — @ Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Bernalillo High SchoolBoysIt’s been a rough year for the Spartan boys team. They are 8-16 (0-6 in 4A-6) and on an eight-game losing streak. They’re ranked 86th in the state.

It’s not all bad news though. The Spartans are a young team and will almost certainly improve in the coming years. As far as veteran talent goes, the Spartans got an incredible season from senior Michael Pacheco, who’s 2.3 steals-per-game was good for third in the district.

Feb. 4 – Valley 64, BHS 29

Feb. 7 – Hope 84, BHS 70

Feb. 11 – Del Norte 68, BHS 37

Feb. 18 — @ Academy, 7 p.m.

Feb. 21 – vs Valley, 7 p.m.

GirlsThe Spartan girls are having a solid season, standing at 10-14 (2-4 in 4A-6) and have won two of their last four, including a blowout victory over Valley on Feb. 4. They are ranked 70th in the state and will look to finish the season strong and secure a spot in the playoffs.

Sophomore Trinity Calabaza is the number-two ranked player in the state for blocks-per-game and has strong metrics across all defensive categories. She and fellow sophomore Samaria Brown are leaders in the district and might make the Spartans a surprising darkhorse in the March championship.

Feb. 4 – BHS 69, Valley 28

Feb. 7 – Hope 60, BHS 38

Feb. 10 – BHS 35, Del Norte 25

Feb. 18 – vs Academy, 7 p.m.

Feb. 21 — @ Valley, 7 p.m.