4A Boys State Tournament Preview

<p>The New Mexico High School Basketball State Tournament starts this Saturday March 5th, and this article will go over the Boys 4A Bracket consisting of 16 teams and 8 matchups. The First Round is Saturday March 5th, the Quarterfinals are Wednesday March 9th, the Semifinals are Friday March 11th and the Championship games are Saturday March 12th.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#1 Highland vs #16 Miyamura</strong></span></p> <p>Highland is this years #1 overall seed after going 22-3 in the regular season. They were district champions after going undefeated at 8-0 during district play. They were led by district player of the year [player_tooltip player_id="1076677" first="Jose" last="Murillo"] who averaged a double-double of 22.0 points and 11.4 rebounds per game this season. Point Guard [player_tooltip player_id="1076724" first="Alexis" last="Dominguez"] averaged 13.2 points and 4.8 assists per game. They also got some strong contributions from big man [player_tooltip player_id="1285509" first="Gustavo" last="Ayala Del Toro"] and three-point shooting from [player_tooltip player_id="1295236" first="Raul" last="Stanford"]. Fernando Hernandez is also a player to keep your eyes on with his ability to impact the game doing all the little things that goes unnoticed way to often. Highland will be the team to beat in this years state tournament.  Miyamura went 14-14 in the regular season and secured the 16th seed in this years tournament. This team has a lot of experience by having 8 seniors on this roster. Tyler Laughing, Mathias Rodriguez, Teejay Jimenez, Gabriel Valdez, Jayde Irving, Antonio Lovato, Ryan Marquez and Jeremiah Paredes. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#8 Artesia vs #9 Lovington</strong></span></p> <p>Artesia went 16-11 in the regular season this year after making the 4A state championship game last season. They placed second in district after going 4-2 in district play. They were led by Junior star [player_tooltip player_id="1208047" first="Nick" last="Sanchez"] who has been one of the most consistent players in New Mexico this season with his scoring. Artesia will be a tough first round matchup for Lovington. Lovington is this year 9th seed after going 20-8 in the regular season and finishing third in district. They were led by there leading scorer Adam Aguilera who averaged 10.5 points per game. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#5 Albuquerque Academy vs #12 Goddard</strong></span></p> <p>Albuquerque Academy has started to play their best basketball toward the end of the regular season. They went 17-7 this season, went 6-2 in district play to win the district title and clinch the 5th seed in this years tournament. They were led by their two highly rated players [player_tooltip player_id="1208052" first="Kellan" last="Gehres"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1254049" first="Justin" last="Mask"]. Those two players make Albuquerque Academy one of the most dangerous teams in this tournament. Goddard went 15-13 in the regular season and won their respective district title by going 4-2 in district play. They were led by big man [player_tooltip player_id="1076697" first="Noah" last="Reese"] who averaged 16.4 points and 8.6 rebounds peer game this season. He will be fun to watch this tournament. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#4 St.Pius vs #13 Valley</strong></span></p> <p>St.Pius had an excellent regular season going 17-8 and playing in one of the toughest districts in the 4A Class. They went 5-3 in district play, came in second during district and made it to the district championship game vs Highland in the district tournament. They were led by team captains Tanner Davis and Jordan Rodriguez. Brian Kalb quickly became one of the best big’s in basketball this season. Dominic Esparza and Chris Coash will also play a huge role in St.Pius making a deep run in this years tournament with their energy and scoring. Valley went 12-13 this season but were better than what their record says. They played in arguably the toughest district in the 4A Class that saw 4 of the 5 teams in their district qualify for the state tournament. They had one of the toughest schedules in the 4A Class by scheduling several games vs many 5A teams. They were led by Point Guard [player_tooltip player_id="1269615" first="Kevin" last="Griner"] who commands the offense and Isaac Tapia’s underrated scoring. [player_tooltip player_id="1282873" first="Mateo" last="Hernandez"] provided solid three point shooting and Josh Gutierrez bringing his leadership to the team. Expect this game to come down to the wire since both teams play a similar style of play. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#3 Espanola Valley vs #14 Los Alamos</strong></span></p> <p>Espanola Valley has been one of the most consistent teams from the start of the season to right now. They have went 20-7 this season, 6-2 in district play and finished district in second place. Once again like every season, Espanola Valley will be in the mix to be a top contender for the 4A state championship. This season they were led by their three highly rated players according to the Prep Hoops rankings. [player_tooltip player_id="1192090" first="Garret" last="May"], [player_tooltip player_id="1192089" first="Ollie" last="Fell"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1282863" first="Melaki" last="Jones"]. Espanola Valley will be one of the early favorites to win it all. Los Alamos went 15-12 this year in a tough district that included two of 4A’s top three seeds. #2 Taos and #3 Espanola Valley. despite that, they still finished with a solid 5-3 in district play and split the season series with Espanola Valley 1-1.This will be the third time these two teams have matched up this season and Los Alamos will be led by their leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="1300383" first="Niko" last="Garcia"] who averaged 13.2 points peer game this season. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#6 Silver vs #11 Del Norte</strong></span></p> <p>Silver had the best win-loss percentage in the 4A Class this season, they had the most total wins in 4A and they were rewarded the 6th seed. They went 25-2 this season, won their district title by going undefeated at 6-0 in district play. This team was led by Armando Medina, Brendon Salgado, Regan Carbajal, Zach Ping and Aaron Granado. The defending 4A State Champions secured the 11th seed in this years tournament after finishing 12-14 in the regular season. Despite their record, this team was better than what their record says due to the adversity they’ve faced this season. They dealt with injuries, the Covid bug and adding several new players in the rotation. This team still has their championship pedigree from last season led by Coach Jeron McIntosh. This team is healthy and back at full strength at the right time of the season. They are led by their one-two punch [player_tooltip player_id="1076702" first="Shane" last="Douma-Sanchez"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1076701" first="Judah" last="Casaus"]. Shane averaged 18.5 points per game and Judah averaged 17.0 points per game this season. Point Guard [player_tooltip player_id="1226150" first="Josh" last="Tellez"] and Forward [player_tooltip player_id="1208046" first="Harrison" last="Frank"] provide consistent shooting and scoring to make Del Norte a scary first round matchup for Silver. [player_tooltip player_id="1234593" first="Roman" last="Hileman"], Aiden Hileman, Deion Jim also give you great energy on both sides of the floor that doesn’t get talked about enough to win games. [player_tooltip player_id="1208050" first="Estevan" last="DeVargas"] can also light up the scoreboard from the second unit to give Del Norte a boost in big moments at the end of games. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#7 Belen vs #10 Gallup</strong></span></p> <p>Belen had a solid regular season going 16-11 and playing in a tough district that included #4 St.Pius and #1 Highland. They went 4-4 in district play and finished 3rd overall in district. They were led by big man Daniel Corrales who averaged 14.3 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game. Brody Jacquez averaged 9.5 points and Jose Luis Garcia averaging 9.1 this season. Jordi Rojo and Elijah Romero can also impact the game with their shooting and scoring by driving inside the paint. Gallup went 16-12 in the regular season and won their district title by going 9-1 in district play. They were led by their highly rated player Joaquin Ortega. These teams previously met Tuesday December 7th, Gallup defeated Belen 73-63. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>#2 Taos vs #15 Hope Christian</strong></span></p> <p>Taos was this tournaments 2nd overall seed after going 21-6 in the regular season, winning their district title by going 7-1 in a tough district that three teams qualify for the state tournament. They were led by there two highly rated  players [player_tooltip player_id="1282868" first="Daemon" last="Ely"] and Anthony Padilla. Daemon averaged 14.7 points per game and Anthony averaged 10.3 points per game this season. Taos will be one of the teams to beat in the state tournament this year. Hope Christian is this years 15th seed after going 15-14 in the regular season and playing in the toughest district in the 4A Class that saw 4 teams make this tournament. This team is led by highly rated player Jett Wycoff. </p>