Rams pull off first-round upset in Los Lunas

RIO RANCHO 56, LOS LUNAS 45

LOS LUNAS – The crowds braved the wind, dust and sleet on Friday night as they packed the Los Lunas High School gym for the Tigers’ first-round match-up against the visiting Rio Rancho Rams in the Girls 5A State Basketball Championship.

The weather wasn’t much better inside as the 10-seed Rams unleashed a second-half hurricane on the seven-seed Tigers and took a 56-45 win into the next round.

The first half was close, but RRHS freshman-phenom Madilynn Martinez kept the Rams ahead throughout and stretched the lead to seven by halftime (28-21 Rams).

The second half just got worse for the Tigers. RRHS fixed their turnover problems and woke up their three-point game as Martinez hit a deep three from near the corner less than a minute into the half.

“I knew I wasn’t playing [my best basketball],” said Martinez, who was the only double-digit scorer in the first half, with 11. “So, at halftime we got the team together and said, ‘Let’s get out the nervousness. Let’s get out the jitters. Let’s go out there and play how we know how to.’”

Martinez kicked it into high gear and by the end of the quarter, that Rams lead had grown to 20 and the scoreboard read 49-29 Rio Rancho.

“We wanted to put pressure on them [in the third quarter],” said Rams coach Eric Jack. “We kind of slacked off a little in the first half and we wanted to come out and put pressure on them, and that’s what we did.”

RRHS didn’t slow down in the fourth, but the Tigers did find their footing after the third-quarter onslaught. Los Lunas managed a small, late comeback that cut the lead to 10 with only a minute left, but the Rams held on and took the 56-45 victory.

“That was a big win. We did excellent. We came out ready to play. We came out hot, ready to get it on,” said Jack. “We played good defense. That’s been a staple of our season, and that’s what we wanted to do.”

Martinez finished with 24 points, the game’s leading scorer.

The Tigers’ season comes to a close with a 23-7 record; good for second in 5A-5.

The Rams get to keep fighting and will face the two-seed Sandia Matadors in the 5A Quarterfinals on Mar. 11 at 4:45 p.m. at the Pit.

“I’m feeling excited,” said Martinez. “We were really focused on this game and prepared, and now it’s on to the Pit!”

Coach Jack said he hasn’t thought much about the next round yet but is confident his girls will be prepared.

“One game at a time,” he said. “But we stay ready.”