Hoops … Here it is — District 1-5A action starts Tuesday

Here we go again – the “second” season for high school basketball teams.

This is where the boys become men, the girls become women. Well, it’s where the going gets tough and outcomes of these District 1-5A games become more important than those in the “first” season, the pre-district slates for all four teams.

Going into this week’s contests, all four teams are at .500 or better – and all four won their last games played Jan. 19 or 20.

Because the Cleveland High boys’ team has been ranked near the top, and even briefly at No. 1, let’s take a look at them.

• In the latest MaxPreps* rankings, which the New Mexico Activities Association take into account when seeding the 16-team brackets for the state tournament, the Storm (15-3) were No. 2, as well as No. 2 in the NMOT Coaches’ Poll*, in which coaches rank the teams.

Zack Cole has done an exemplary job as head coach and is expected to take his team deep into the playoffs, as CHS coaches Brian Smith and Sean Jimenez often did in the past.

It wasn’t an “empty cupboard” that greeted him in the Thunderdome, as senior Daniel Steverson is among the best in the state (his eighth-grade brother Darius might even be better in a few seasons!) and a treat to watch glide to the rim or drop in a 3-pointer.

When junior Remy Albrecht is on, as La Cueva found the evening of Jan. 16, watch out – he can drill 3s by the bucket. And the state’s best linebacker, Strat Shufelt, might not score many points, but he can muscle the opposition out of the paint and snag rebounds.

That trio has a good supporting cast, and the Storm play defense like no other.

As for their district battles, which began last night (Jan. 24) at two-time defending state champ Volcano Vista, the Storm will remain among the top five all season, battling the VVHS Hawks all the way for the 1-5A crown, although Atrisco Heritage Academy will probably have a say in that.

Cleveland beat the Jaguars at Metro, but snazzy point guard Latavious Morris was on the bench early because of foul trouble, so we can discount the Storm’s 16-point verdict in that game.

Outside 1-5A, Farmington, which beat the Storm in Hobbs last month, Los Lunas, organ Mountain and Sandia, last season’s 5A runner-up, will have plenty to say before we get to the final four. But I believe the Storm will be one of the last teams standing.

• As for the Rio Rancho boys, coach Wally Salata, in his 15th season at RRHS, has seen his team have its ups and downs, seemingly two games under .500 or two games over .500.

The Rams (10-7) were ranked No. 15 in MaxPreps and didn’t get a vote in the Coaches’ Poll, which means none of the 15 coaches that voted that week thought the Rams were a No. 10 team.

But Salata doesn’t care; he’s more concerned with seeing improvement from his squad, with its success emanating from senior Jayden Johnson.

Johnson is often in double figures, and he’s a marvel to watch with the ball, spinning and twisting and dropping it into the net, although with all his daring, he’s prone to turning the ball over.

Josiah Marfil can score in double figures, and Jerry Archuleta and Kevin Archuleta – unrelated – are frequent threats to enter the double-figure column. Guard Chris Lucero is good at distributing the ball and can occasionally reach double figures.

The Rams are 10-7 going into their non-district finale Wednesday, Jan. 24, vs. visiting Los Alamos and start 1-5A action Friday at 7 p.m. when Atrisco Heritage visits the RAC.

It won’t be a surprise to see the Rams finish as high as second, as their home-and-home contests with the Storm are sometimes too close to predict – so their state hopes depend on how they safe vs. the Jaguars and Cibola, many seasons removed from being a threat to win 1-5A.

Barring injuries or suspensions to Volcano Vista’s great Kenyon Aguino and David Lunn, the Rams don’t have the weaponry to beat the Hawks.

With a third- or fourth-place finish in district, the Rams will hope the selection committee thinks enough of their body of work to get them a first-round road game in March.

And, as Salata is quick to admit, “There are no easy wins for us.”

What about the girls’ teams?

• The RRHS Rams (11-5) have seemingly returned to respectability, as second-year head coach Lori Mabrey’s young team features a couple of middle school twins, a tall freshman and only three seniors.

Mabrey wants more than anything to bring the program back to where it was during her time as assistant, and when original coach Bobby McIntyre seemed to get the Rams into The Pit for state on a regular basis.

Freshman Jemmah Estrada is fun to watch and has a lot to learn in her next three seasons; she has an uncanny knack of getting into foul trouble. The Rams’ plethora of guards has outside range and driving ability, and senior Makenna Lee can get hot at times and score in double figures.

Is this the year? After three seasons in a row without a bid, the Rams got the 16 seed last season, and while a spot in the bracket was nice, the resultant trip to No. 1 Hobbs and a 73-14 drubbing by the eventual champion Eagles was not so pleasant.

The Rams were No. 9 for MaxPreps and No. 10 in the Coaches’ Poll, so they seem safe to get a roads game in the first round, at least.

“I think our team is steadily getting smarter and steadily getting better and I think we’re getting contributions from multiple players,” Mabrey said. “Obviously, Volcano is probably the team that we still have to beat. The last I saw of Cleveland, they’re playing pretty good basketball … so they’re not going to be a pushover.”

Rio Rancho should be able to sweep Atrisco Heritage Academy, where they open the district slate this evening, and faltering Cibola; their battles with Cleveland, like the boys’, are like flipping a coin to determine a winner.

And don’t expect anyone other than Volcano Vista to win the district title again and be back among the final four in The Pit.

The Rams are home Tuesday at 7 p.m. to meet Los Alamos in a non-district encounter, and open 1-5A action Thursday at AHA at 7:30.

• As for the Cleveland Storm, ranked 11th in MaxPreps and managing one point in the Coaches’ Poll, meaning one of the 15 coaches who voted deemed them a No. 10 ranking, they’ve been basically a .500 team: 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8 and now 9-9 to start district play.

Like the Rams, the Storm should be able to sweep AHA and Cibola, then battle the Rams for second place in 1-5A.

Savannah Madueno and Aubrey Jaramillo are their best scoring threats, although Danae Elzy can get into double figures, and other teams hope Kindyll Sandoval isn’t canning 3s, which is her best attribute.

Coach Susan Kubala will tell you her team’s fate is often determined beforehand, and that how they practice prior to the games is how they’ll play in the games.

Cleveland plays its first 1-5A game Tuesday, Jan. 23, vs. visiting Volcano Vista, which has won the last 29 meetings between the two teams. To put that in perspective, this season’s seniors were about 5 years old the last time the Storm defeated the Hawks.

Cleveland is home again Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. to meet AHA.

(* This was written before the polls came out this week, Jan. 22/23.)