Storm send Bears into hibernation

ALBUQUERQUE — The Cleveland High School boys basketball team (10-2) handed La Cueva High School (5-6) its sixth loss of the season at Albuquerque High School Jan. 8. With the victory 69-50, the Storm roll on to the next round in the Albuquerque Metro Tournament.

For most of the game, Cleveland led by double digits. At one point, the Storm were up by 23 points and scored 17 unanswered.

"With us, it always starts with defense, and that turns into easy offense for us when you got guys like Remy [Albrecht], who get in transition and score," head coach Zack Cole said.

Albrecht put on a masterclass, once again stuffing the stat sheet with 22 points, three 3-pointers, seven assists, four rebounds and six steals.

"We just got to come out and play as a team. You know, we're passing it and getting the shots that we want, and we're taking it to the rim and getting buckets," Albrecht said.

Much of their offensive success came from quick ball movement among the players that created great looks for their shooters; Cleveland capitalized on those opportunities and scored 13 3-pointers.

"We're just a fast-paced team. We like run-and-gun. We like getting up and down the court, pushing the game, playing fast. So, points are going to go up," said senior Titus Sutton, who finished the night with nine points and four rebounds.

Sophomores Ajay Vigil and Cannon Cole were lethal beyond the arc as Vigil led the team in 3-pointers (four) while Cannon drained three 3s.

"I feel like I was just ready to shoot tonight. In warmups, I was doing good. Going into the game, I was feeling confident and everything was flowing," Cannon said, who is the brother of senior Storm player Bronson Cole.

Doing his best Dennis Rodman impression was senior Psalmon Kegler, who logged 11 rebounds and one block. Kegler's teammates were quick to shout him out for his contributions, and Sutton said that "he does all the dirty work that nobody wants to do."

"Sal [Psalmon Kegler] gets every rebound in the paint, every time," Albrecht said of his teammate.

The Storm will play the red-hot Sandia Matadors (11-1), who are ranked third in the state, at 5:15 p.m. Jan. 10 at La Cueva High School. La Cueva will play Cleveland again Jan. 16. at Cleveland High School.