Pit Pandemonium: Local teams hit the court at UNM, eyeing state tournament glory

ALBUQUERQUE — From 5,509 feet above sea level in the City of Vision to 37 feet below ground, several local hoops teams hit the court at New Mexico’s grandest hardwood: The Pit.

It is considered one of the best weeks of the high school athletic calendar, and the games lived up to the name. Getting to The Pit is one thing, but walking up that ramp and exiting with a blue trophy in hand is another.

Here is how the week unfolded for the three local crews' quest for March magic.

Tuesday, March 10

If the coffee from the concession stand didn’t provide you with any energy, leave that up to coach Lori Mabrey.

Mabrey and her Lady Rams team hit the court first in the early morning of opening day, taking on Los Lunas in the quarterfinals.

Rio Rancho’s head coach brought her high-energy coaching style to the Lobo sideline, a place she is familiar with as a former state champion, talking to her players and filling the quiet pit at 9:45 a.m.

Whatever she was saying, it worked, especially on defense.

Rio Rancho held the Tigers to 25 points, beating them 42-25 to advance to the semifinals.

While 42 points is one of the lowest totals in a win for the Rams this season, they did their talking on the other end of the court, with their quarterfinal performance being the first time they held a team with a winning record to 25 points or fewer since mid-December.

Guards Madi Martinez and Daysia Jack combined for 29 points, enough to get Rio to the finish line.

The Pit quickly turned into a Tiger trap, and the Rams were on their way to the Final Four.

Wednesday, March 11

The boys hit the court on Wednesday, and with how the brackets lined up, it looked as if a Rio Rancho-Cleveland rivalry installment would be on our hands in the semifinals.

By the end of the day, the bracket was one shot away from no city team advancing.

It all began in the 1:15 p.m. game between Cleveland and Carlsbad, a No. 2 seed versus No. 10 seed matchup.

The Storm were clearly favored, but the Cavemen took that to heart, coming out and starting the game on a 15-5 run.

A cold start in the shooting department for the electric blue, paired with an energetic Carlsbad team, had all the makings of a March Cinderella upset, but Cleveland would not let its season be flushed away.

Three-pointers would start flying from Remy Albrecht, Brycen Bowie and Cannon Cole. Cleveland now held a lead into the break.

In what felt like a cinematic game, the second half could have been nominated for an Oscar. It had everything from lead changes, costly fouls and clutch 3-pointers.

The climax of it all was a key traveling call on Cleveland with 9.1 seconds left and up 54-53. Carlsbad would have the chance at the fairy tale ending: the last shot.

C-Bad got the ball to Zee Huerta, who rose, got the shot off and lined it up perfectly…

Off the back rim.

The clock hit midnight on Cinderella, and Cleveland survived to move on to the Final Four.

In the nightcap, Rio Rancho and Sandia would have big shoes to fill after the matinee mayhem, but they did deliver.

The Rams would find themselves in a similar spot, falling early to the Matadors before a third-quarter comeback would bring them back into the fight.

Rio Rancho had the lead with under two minutes to go in the game, but big-time shots from Sandia’s George Smith, Gad Harris and Malachi Knox, who were all playing together for one of the rare times this season, took the game away from the Rams.

Rio was the higher seed in the three-versus-six matchup, but when the Matadors are at full strength, a six seed might be insulting, and they proved that on Wednesday night.

A 66-65 final would be the finale for Steve Heredia’s Rio debut, taking the Rams to The Pit in his first year at the helm.

Thursday, March 12

The dance floor felt a little emptier on Thursday, with the bracket dwindling in semifinal action.

Rio Rancho girls hit the floor for a 1:15 p.m. tip, taking on a familiar foe in the Volcano Vista Hawks.

Rio and Volcano have had quite the history this season, with the Hawks picking off the Rams for one of their lone four losses in what was a heated regular-season series.

Now playing on UNM’s campus instead of on Loma Colorado or Rainbow Road, the first half between these two looked to hold the same heat.

In a back-and-forth in the early going, Rams’ guard Daysia Jack would hold ground for Rio, including a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to end the half and give the Rams a 29-26 lead.

The second half would be a different story, a story of a Rio runaway.

That is in big thanks to Madi Martinez, who came alive in the third quarter. She would finish the game with 23 points, leading all scorers, as Jack finished with 14 to create a lethal duo in the backcourt.

Volcano had no answers for the Runnin’ Rams, as the game slipped away into a 62-45 championship-bound victory.

In what has been an emotional year for Lori Mabrey, her crew of talented Rams now has her back in the title game against Hobbs.

“Very, very proud of them,” Mabrey said after the game. “They’ve played with heart, resilience and grit all year long.”

Hours later, the Cleveland boys hit the court to join the Rio girls as city representatives in the weekend title game.

After a bruiser of a quarterfinal game for the Storm, how could this matchup against Sandia top that?

Overtime.

Sandia had the game in their hands in the final minutes of the fourth, but just like so many different times this season, whether against rival Rio in the Thunderdome or just a few days ago against Carlsbad, Cleveland found a way.

Zack Cole’s crew battled back to force overtime 57-57, and from there on out, it was a perfect storm. Cleveland outscored Sandia 9-3 in the extra period to win 66-60.

“Hard fought,” Cole said after the game. “A lot of guts, a lot of grit. Just guys trusting each other.”

Some big-time guts were on display from Jordan Rivera, the overtime hero from Cleveland’s key district win against the Rams, as he scored a team-high 19 points and an overtime three-pointer to effectively put the game away.

Should a two-seed be winning by the skin of their teeth every game? Does that display confidence? Is this sustainable?

That’s March for you, as Cleveland’s drama-filled run will look for the perfect closing scene: A win over rival Volcano Vista in the title game.