Going The Distance: Albrecht, Rivera outlast rival Rams to stay atop 1-5A

RIO RANCHO - Did someone turn the “Rocky” soundtrack on?

Cleveland High School’s Thunderdome turned into a boxing ring on Thursday night, and after a six-round bruiser of a basketball game, the Storm walked out with the title belt.

Cleveland boys’ basketball (22-4) defeated Rio Rancho (22-4) 86-80 in double overtime, splitting the regular season series with their rivals to the south.

The Rams led throughout the first three quarters, on top of chances to win via getting the last shots of the fourth quarter and the first overtime period, missing both K-O punches. 

Cleveland, on the brink of defeat on multiple occasions, stayed in the fight. They hung around just long enough to break out a 10-4 run in the second overtime to put the nail in the coffin of the Rams’ first-place district bid.

Senior guard Remy Albrecht was the usual vocal point for the Storm, leading all scorers with 34 points and four threes on the night.

“It’s huge to have a player like Remy,” Cleveland guard Ajay Vigil said. “Scoring the points he does. He can score whenever, and when all the attention is on him, he kicks out to open shooters when needed.”

Albrecht was excellent, but it appeared it would not be enough. Rio’s duo of Cayden Richardson and Kayden Decker became a wrecking crew in the paint, combining for 49 points.

Richardson would get to the line in bulk in the contest, along with Decker, who found his shot from distance. Rio’s senior forward would lace three threes, including a half-court heave at the end of the third quarter. 

“It was tough to stay in the game with such a big Rio team,” Vigil said. “Our defense at the end of quarters and hitting big shots allowed us to win that game.”

Rams guard Davi Santistevan would hit a buzzer-beater three of his own to close out the first quarter, with all indicators pointing to the fact that it just may be Rio’s night.

Cleveland’s fourth-quarter resurrection behind the arc would save their night, including a big-time shot from Vigil with under two minutes to go in regulation.

“The mindset was just shoot with confidence whoever had the open shot,” Vigil said. “During the play, I just had the confidence to make that shot.”

The Storm were finding some answers, but to try and outlast the Rams, they would need to find their sidekick to the superhero of Albrecht.

Jordan Rivera would answer the call.

Quiet most of the night, Rivera would finish with 11 points, including three game-deciding three-pointers in the overtime periods. The sophomore’s final three of the night would end up being the game-sealer, giving Cleveland a 79-76 lead in the final minute as they never looked back. 

“I feel so good, especially here in the rivalry game,” Rivera said. “Taking number one in the district. It feels awesome.”

The night was capped off with the Cleveland student section rushing the team after the final buzzer sounded, celebrating as a school.

“It's (playing) so fun,” Rivera said. “I love playing with these guys.”

After breaking the three-way tie, Cleveland and Volcano Vista will play a first-place tiebreaker on Monday to decide the top of 1-5A, set for 6:00 PM at Cibola High School. 

“We're gonna come out fast,” Rivera said. “We're ready to work.”