Rams boys survive 15-point second half

RIO RANCHO – If you left the Rio Rancho High School boys’ basketball game in the RAC early last night (Dec. 21), you were probably surprised when you saw the final score.

Opening the game on a 16-1 blitz and leading 25-5 after the first quarter and 41-19 (with 19 turnovers by then) at halftime, you probably thought this, like ol’ Uncle Marvin, was already in the bag.

You could not be more wrong.

The Ravens (5-4) opened the second half, doping what the Rams (4-2) had done to them in the first half: play tenacious defense and turn missed shots and turnovers into points.

After committing seven turnovers in the first half, the Rams turned the ball over eight times in the third period, when they were held to 9 points, and four more times in the final quarter, when they scored 6 points.

The Ravens’ furious rally, which never managed to tie the Rams but had some fans wondering what was happening, didn’t surprise Rams coach Wally Salata, who’d made a previous coaching stop in the South Valley at Rio Grande.

“I know we were up 20 in the first half. But I know Rio – I coached there,” he said. “I know how hard they’re going to continue to play, and they almost pulled it out.

“We did some things in the fourth quarter; everybody thinks that we’ve got to take a shot when you’re up by 10, 8 – they’re coming after us.

“Trust me. These are very important games for us,” he said. “We’ve got to learn from this – (District 1-5A games) are gonna be like this.”

Another drawback, out of Salata’s control: “They went to the free throw line; I thought the fouls in the second half were way too many,” he said. “It was, like, 14 to one at one time. I’m sorry, but you know, if you’re going to call certain things, you gotta call it both ways.

“I think there was inconsistency out there at times,” he added. “I’m sorry, but not with two teams that are putting their hands (on each other.”

The Ravens were 13 of 22 at the foul line, making just 2 of 8 in the fourth quarter; RRHS made 6 of 10 free throws, a seven-point disadvantage.

“But we overcame adversity and that’s the thing I’m going to be talking about in the locker room,” he concluded. “It’s a W. We broke their five-game winning streak; we’re on a four-game winning streak.”

Chris Lucero led the Rams with a game-high 15 points, all in the first half. Jayden Johnson, saddled with two fouls in the first quarter, had his playing time limited and wound up with 10. The Rams’ bench scored 18 points, including 2 by Josiah Marfil, who hit two key free for the game’s final points with 15.8 seconds left to play..

Cleo Vasquez led the Ravens with 14 points, Isaiah Lucero had 13 and Santiago Gonzales finished with a dozen.

Ram dunks: The Rams swept the Ravens, with the RRHS freshman winning easily, 66-26, and the JV winning by almost most as many points, 69-32.

… The Rams’ next game is Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 7 p.m. vs. Sandia Prep Wednesday in an opening-round game of the Jalene Berger Holiday Hoops Classic in the RAC.