Volcano Vista defeats Cleveland in the state title game

ALBUQUERQUE — The Cleveland Storm basketball season ended at The Pit March 14 with a runner-up trophy in 5A hoops as district-rival Volcano Vista defeated them 66-52 in the state title game.

“Was proud of the boys for fighting hard, “ Cleveland head coach Zack Cole said. “We didn’t shoot particularly well tonight, but I am proud of how hard our guys played. They played their butts off, and it just wasn’t our night.”

As for Volcano Vista (26-5), the Hawks have won five straight state championships, which surpasses Hobbs for the longest streak in New Mexico 5A basketball history. It is also their first state title without three-time New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year and current Montana Grizzlies player Kenyon Aguino.

This was the sixth matchup between Volcano Vista and Cleveland (26-7), and coming into the game, the series was 3-2 in favor of Volcano Vista. Besides their two regular-season matchups, Volcano Vista and Cleveland played in the Metro Championship final, the district regular-season tie-breaker, and the district tournament final. 

Their final matchup on March 14 also marked the final game of the 2026 New Mexico basketball season, and Volcano Vista head coach Greg Brown had the Hawks firing early. 

“These dudes are special,” Brown said of his team. “I’ve got an incredible coaching staff … and it’s about these guys,” he added while pointing at the team.

The Hawks shot 63% on field goals in the first period and were led by district co-offensive player of the year, David Lunn. 

Lunn, who has received three Division I basketball offers, scored 23 points in the game, which included a first-half jam that sent The Lava Pit (the Volcano Vista student section) into a frenzy. His point total came despite Brown taking him out for a large chunk of the third and early fourth quarters due to foul trouble.

On the other side of the court was another district co-offensive player of the year, Remy Albrecht, who had an impressive “last dance” as a member of the Cleveland Storm. The all-time Storm great had 28 points, five 3-pointers, and five steals. 

Despite Albrecht’s near-30-point performance, Cleveland struggled to shoot the ball. On 3-pointers, Cleveland went five-for-26, and Albrecht was the only player to reach double figures. 

In fact, all five of Cleveland’s 3-pointers came from Albrecht; the rest of the team went 0-for-21. 

Besides shooting, rebounds were also hard to come by. Volcano Vista had 34 boards while Cleveland had 17. The catalyst in the paint was Volcano Vista’s Eli “Big Smoothie” Covell, who logged 10 boards, including three offensive boards. Covell also secured the double-double by scoring 15 points. 

Defensively, Storm players like Karson Weddle and Noah Valler held their own. Jordan Rivera also made an impact on some traps and pressures. 

The Storm were held to six points in the second period. It was the only period of the game, by either team, that did not reach double figures as far as team points. 

With the game in the dwindling light, senior Evan Vigil entered the game and scored two points for the Storm. It was the final two points for the 2026 Storm season, a season in which the team reached 26 wins for the first time since 2019, won the 2026 Metro Championship, and made a finals appearance for the first time since 2020. 

The future is bright for the “Cole era” of Storm basketball, and several returners will be back in the fold next season, including the return of Darius Steverson, who missed the season due to injury. 

For guys like Remy Albrecht, Karson Weddle, Dezmon Sandoval and Evan Vigil, it was their last time suiting up for the Storm, and they’ve certainly set the standard for the next class. 

“It has meant a lot. Looking up to Daniel Steverson, who wore number 5 before me. I watched him a lot when I was a freshman, and I wanted to be in that jersey and make it to where he was, ” Weddle said of playing his final game for Cleveland basketball. “This is where I wanted to be. We got here; it just didn’t fall our way.”