Hobbs defeat Rio Rancho for the 5A state title

ALBUQUERQUE - The Rio Rancho Rams (27-5) historic season came to a close March 14 at The Pit as the Hobbs Eagles (29-2) defeated Rio Rancho in the 5A state championship game. 

The final: Hobbs 66, Rio Rancho 53. 

“I thought our girls battled,” Rio Rancho head coach Lori Mabrey said. 

The 2026 Rio Rancho Rams are the first girls’ basketball team in school history to reach the finals, and certainly delivered some punches to the number-one-seeded Hobbs.

Madi and Larissa Martinez led the offensive charge and finished the game with a combined 33 points. The sophomore sisters were the two Ram players to reach double digits: Madi scored 21, and Larissa scored 12. 

Defensively, Lilly Martinez and Daysia Jack limited some elite scorers from Hobbs, which included standout eighth grader Xoey Ross and senior Matysen Zepeda.

At halftime, Rio Rancho was leading 25 to 23, and Ross had exited the game for a brief injury.

For a moment, things looked worrisome for Hobbs, who had decisively defeated some of the top teams in the state, including Sandia and Albuquerque. Hobbs had even knocked down Kirtland Central, the number-one team in the state per MaxPreps.

However, Hobbs head coach Joe Carpenter’s squad came out firing in the second half. 

The offensive fireworks began with a ton of production from the bench. Sophomore Kareli Rivera certainly made the most of her minutes and ended up leading the Eagles in scoring with 18 points. She also logged five steals and was perfect from the free-throw line. 

In fact, Hobbs had 20 total steals, with three players logging at least four steals. They also made sure to cash in on turnovers and scored 20 points off of 23 Rio Rancho turnovers.

“I think the difference in the game today was turnovers…if you turn it over against any team, especially that team, they’re going to make you pay,” Coach Mabrey said.

Xoey Ross also returned to the lineup, and scored 12 points, logged four steals, and had a team-high five assists.

Hobbs scored 43 points in the second half, and the output was enough to help them hoist the 5A state championship.

In her final game with the Rio Rancho Rams, Lilly Martinez produced another “under the radar” type of game. Her final stats were four steals, four assists, one block, eight boards, and four offensive boards.

“These three five-foot, four-inch girls, they are fearless. They are fearless,” Coach Mabrey said about the three Martinez sisters.

There was a ton of fight in Lilly, just as fellow seniors Kaci McHugh and Jemma Estrada, who brought a ton of physicality in the paint for the Rams. 

The seniors for Coach Mabrey’s squad include Lilly Martinez, Kaci McHugh, Jemma Estrada, Serena McHugh, and Angelina Perea. They are all leaving a great legacy for future Rams players.

As for next season, the Rams look just about set up to be one of the juggernauts in 5A basketball. Some key players expected to run it back include Madi Martinez, Larissa Martinez, and Daysia Jack.