Hoops season ends for RRHS girls in first round

Although Rio Rancho beat the Bears 48-40 in a first-round meeting of the state tournament at La Cueva in 2019, such was not the case Friday night on the Bears’ court, as they advanced into the quarterfinals with a convincing 66-50 victory over the Rams.
The No. 8 Bears (20-9) scored the game’s first 12 points; the ninth-seeded Rams (19-10) turned the ball over six times before scoring.
La Cueva led 34-18 at halftime, already with five 3-pointers to help them take control.
The Rams could get no closer than 10 in the second half, which the Bears closed out on a 15-9 run.
“They have a really good basketball team,” lauded second-year Rams coach Lori Mabrey. “I mean, that team beat Hobbs. Not many teams beat Hobbs; I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they got Hobbs again.”
As for her team’s early struggles, Mabrey said, “We really needed to play a game where we didn’t make many mistakes.”
Jordyn Dyer had a game-high 23 points for the Bears, with Eva Love dropping in 21 and Toni Lucero joining them in double figures with 11.
Unofficially, the Bears were 9 of 18 from behind the arc, and each starter had at least one trey.
Senior Makenna Lee led the Rams with 14 points, all in the second half. Jemmah Estrada added 12.
The Rams will be contenders next season; this year’s starting lineup included eighth-grade twin sisters who can shoot the 3, a freshman center and a sophomore point guard.
“i am proud of our kids; I’m proud of our team,” Mabrey added, “and how far we’ve come in a year, and there is a lot to look forward to.”

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