Rams win energetic game after long break

RIO RANCHO 76, RIO GRANDE 34

ALBUQUERQUE – The RRHS Rams boys have been off for nearly two weeks; 13 days to be exact. They were going to eithr return to the court with a fortnight of energy to unload or look rusty and out-of-sorts.

It was the former.

The Rams exploded on Rio Grande High School on Friday night, defeating their hosts 76-34 in an energetic display that left the Ravens in the dust.

“I was happy that in 13 days we came, and we did what we were supposed to do,” said head coach Wally Salata. “We wanted to get ready for our holiday tournament. And I’m really pleased with how they played. We are 5-1. It’s been a while.”

The first quarter was close. The Ravens were able to keep up with the Rams quick offense and full-court defense. Mateo Gonzalez used his size inside to bully the Rams under the basket, even pulling off a photo-worthy dunk in the first five minutes of the game.

But the Ravens stamina quickly expired. By the middle of the second quarter, the Rams had full control of the game. The Ravens began missing perimeter shots as their arms weakened. They began to drop back on fast breaks as their legs fatigued.

By the fourth quarter the game was all-but-decided as the Rams showed no signs of slowing. Many of them weren’t even out of breath. And their opponents looked gassed.

“The thing is our style of play. We talk about bringing energy, hustling, playing hard, and what I tell them is, ‘the first quarter teams are going to be in games because they're excited too.’ But it's the conditioning part,” said head coach Wally Salata. “Towards the second and third [quarters], they had no legs, and we forced a bunch of turnovers.”

Junior Cayden Richardson led the Rams offensively with 13 points and 3 rebounds. On the defensive end, Kai Bradford led the charge with 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He also put up 10 points for good measure.

The Rams were buoyed by the return of 6-foot-5-inch junior Kayden Decker who played 15 minutes and grabbed 8 points and 6 rebounds.

Next up, the Rams boys are hosting the Holiday Hoops Tournament at RRHS starting Dec. 26. First up for the home team: Manzano. The game tips off at 7 p.m. Thursday.

“Last year, we lost our home tournament,” said Salata. “So, we have a goal, and we are going to reach it.”