Class 4A: First Round Preview And 5 Players To Know

The brackets for the 2025 New Mexico boys state basketball tournament were announced by the NMAA on Sunday night. Here is a preview of all eight first-round matchups in Class 4A + 5 Players You Need to Know. All 8 first-round games will be played on Saturday, March 8.   Goddard (16) at St. Pius X (1): St. Pius X (21-5) has been one of the top teams in Class 4A all season long as they went unbeaten in district play and then topped it off with an OT win over Highland in the district tourney title game. They are well deserving of the No. 1 seed. They've lost just two games since Jan. 2 and carry a 10-game winning streak into the state tournament. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2684214' first='Mason' last='Montoya'] scored 24 points in the district tourney championship game and was later honored as the District 4A-5 Player of the Year. Goddard  (11-15) comes into the tournament with a below-.500 record. The last six weeks for the Rockets has basically followed a win one-lose one script. They don't have a scorer averaging above 9 points per game. It will take a massive upset for Goddard to pull this one out.           Del Norte (9) at Highland (8): A classic 8-9 matchup between schools that have battled often in the Albuquerque Metro high school basketball wars. In fact, even though they're in different districts and are located just 5 miles apart, they've already played twice this season. The first encounter was decided by 7 points. The second went to overtime. Expect another tense affair. Highland's season can be separated into two parts: pre-[player_tooltip player_id='1687821' first='Jesus' last='Licon'] and post-[player_tooltip player_id='1687821' first='Jesus' last='Licon']. Since making his season debut in January, Licon has steadily become the player we saw last season when he was a 3-point machine. He's averaged 24.9 points in his last 9 games and scored 30+ points four times. Del Norte has a star player of their own in [player_tooltip player_id='1717253' first='Francois' last='Satchivi'], who's averaging a career high 15.2 points per game and connecting on 43 percent of his 3-point attempts.         Taos (12) at Pojoaque Valley (5): District rivals square off. Taos had aspirations of earning a top eight seed when they surprisingly knocked off Espanola Valley in the District 4A-2 tourney title game in the Sundevils' raucous home gym. But they settled for the No. 12 seed. Six-foot-6 junior post [player_tooltip player_id='2300007' first='Malakhai' last='Ely'] sparks the Tigers' offense. Pojoaque Valley's top five seed show how strong District 4A-2 was at the top with the Elks and Espanola Valley (see below). Only a loss to Taos in the district tournament snapped Pojoaque Valley's seven-game winning streak. Great defense fueled the winning streak as the Elks did not allow more than 54 points in any game during the winning streak. These two teams have already played three times this season, so there are no secrets.       Grants (13) at Albuquerque Academy (4): Led by the dynamic duo of 6-foot-4 [player_tooltip player_id='2818784' first='Eli' last='Dominguez'] and 6-foot-10 [player_tooltip player_id='1717250' first='Hunter' last='Aime'], Albuquerque Academy (19-8) won the District 4A-6 regular season title, but they struggled offensively in a loss to Valley in their only district tourney contest. The fact it was their first game in 11 days may have been a factor. Grants (13-14) comes into the state tournament searching for momentum as they've lost five of their last seven games. The Pirates own regular season victories over Taos, Gallup and Highland, so they're capable of rising up and knocking off a higher seed.          Belen (14) at Espanola Valley (3): Losing a 17-point first lead against Taos in the District 4A-2 tourney title game didn't affect Espanola Valley's seeding very much. While they harbored hopes of securing a top-two seed before the game, they didn't drop very far. That's because the Sundevils are a very good basketball team. During non-district play, they beat Albuquerque Academy, Organ Mountain and Lovington. Belen (12-15) likely slipped into the tournament despite being three game sunder .500 because of their strength of schedule. Not only did Belen compete against St. Pius X and Highland in District 4A-5, they faced Valley, Goddard, Mayfield, Albuquerque Academy, Artesia, Lovington and Gallup during non-district play.   Hope Christian (11) at Silver (6): Some folks may have been surprised to see Silver (20-6) seeded No. 6 for the state tournament but the Fighting Colts have put together a solid season, cruising to the District 4A-3 regular season and tournament titles. Hope Christian (14-14) finished 4th in District 4A-5 but have proven to be a dangerous basketball team at times this season. The Huskies beat Valley on Feb. 14 and 5A Atrisco Heritage on Jan. 11, so they've very capable of going to Silver City and upsetting the Colts.      Lovington (10) at Valley (6): Led by 6-foot-5 senior [player_tooltip player_id='1687863' first='Kayle' last='Covington'], who averages a double-double (20.7 ppg and 13.0 rpg), Lovington enters the state tournament on a high note after beating Portales in the District 4A-4 tourney title game. Covington knocks down almost 60 percent of his shots. His size and skill will surely challenge the Valley defense. If the Vikings were a bubble team at the conclusion of the regular season, they rendered the debate moot by winning the District 4A-6 tournament by stunning #1 seed Albuquerque Academy on its home floor. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2677085' first='Angelito' last='Villa'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1540114' first='Carter' last='Monroe'] combine for 29.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.           Gallup (15) at Artesia (2): Gallup (17-11) makes the long cross-state trip to southeastern New Mexico to face the powerful Bulldogs. The Bengals swept the District 4A-1 regular season and tournament titles, and are the lone team from its district in the state tourney. Gallup is riding a 6-game winning streak and has won 8 of its lasty nine, including a 66-65 thriller over Aztec in the district tourney title game. Artesia earned the #2 seed despite being stunned by Portales in the District 4A-4 Tournament on a last-second do-or-die jumper and dropping its regular season finale to Goddard. The dynamic duo of juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1846065' first='Charlie' last='Campbell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1717327' first='Braylon' last='Vega'] leads the Bulldogs' offense.     5 Players You Need To Know   [player_tooltip player_id='2819625' first='Mario' last='Baros'], Pojoaque Valley: He helped key Pojoaque Valley's February surge that propelled them to the #5 seed. Led the Elks in scoring with 11.6 points per game along with playing ironclad defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='2693635' first='Juan' last='Limas'], Highland: Limas did yeoman's work during [player_tooltip player_id='1687821' first='Jesus' last='Licon']'s absence in December and the first half of January. He is Highland's second leading scorer at 15.8 points per game and the second leading rebounder at 7.1 per game.       [player_tooltip player_id='2819613' first='Angel' last='Maciel'], Silver: The 6-foot-2 Maciel has been one of the cornerstones for the Colts this season. If there's one player who could emerge from the shadows and become a star during the 4A tournament, it's Maciel as few folks outside of Silver City and SW New Mexico know about him.        [player_tooltip player_id='1695659' first='Luciano' last='Mondragon'], Valley: Fantastic role player for the Vikings. Averages nearly 9 points and 4 assists per game. Finest moment came when he drained a clutch foul line jumper in the final seconds to beat Del Norte on Senior Night at VHS.   Mateo Salazar, Taos: Salazar proved how dangerous he is against Espanola Valley in the District 4A-2 tourney title game when he keyed a comeback from a 17-point first-half deficit by connecting on 4 3-pointers in the second half.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It's always a blessing to be openly honored for an achievement. Today I was honored for reaching 1000 career points! Thank you to all who support me and encourage me to be better everyday! <a href="https://t.co/K0nkhMkmPG">pic.twitter.com/K0nkhMkmPG</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1687863' first='Kayle' last='Covington'] (@kayl_covington) <a href="https://twitter.com/kayl_covington/status/1892102323687542982?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">[player_tooltip player_id='1695659' first='Luciano' last='Mondragon'] with the game winner on Senior Night! 🧅's Big time come back win! Proud of these guys! Go Vikings! ⚔️<a href="https://twitter.com/Viking_BBall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Viking_BBall</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ValleyHighScho6?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ValleyHighScho6</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VikingsVhs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VikingsVhs</a> <a href="https://t.co/7FCmPaUXU8">pic.twitter.com/7FCmPaUXU8</a>— Ez Panas (@Coach_EZ13) <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_EZ13/status/1892079499233120357?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Seeding and Selection Time!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_NMAA</a> State Basketball Tournament.<a href="https://twitter.com/SebastianNoel47?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SebastianNoel47</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EdNunez18?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EdNunez18</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ProViewTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ProViewTV</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JPtheSportsGuy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JPtheSportsGuy</a> Let's Go Hornets!! <a href="https://t.co/Yr67U5ScbO">pic.twitter.com/Yr67U5ScbO</a>— Justin Woody (@CoachJWoody) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachJWoody/status/1896346147205353591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">6'11” 2026 PF/C [player_tooltip player_id='1717250' first='Hunter' last='Aime'] (<a href="https://twitter.com/hunter_aime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hunter_aime</a>) is balling! One of the most dominant paint presences in the entire state this year, Aime blocks shots and dunks in the lane at will. He is also a skilled passer out of the post and has a nice 3 point stroke! <a href="https://t.co/BI0WYUINYP">pic.twitter.com/BI0WYUINYP</a>— Academy MBB (@AbqAcademy_mbb) <a href="https://twitter.com/AbqAcademy_mbb/status/1893885363849953671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Senior day at Española Valley. Congratulations to our seniors! <a href="https://t.co/9YLnZfxTfI">pic.twitter.com/9YLnZfxTfI</a>— Española Valley High School Athletics (@EVHSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/EVHSports/status/1890894380774400180?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2025</a></blockquote>

The brackets for the 2025 New Mexico boys state basketball tournament were announced by the NMAA on Sunday night. Here is a preview of all eight first-round matchups in Class 4A + 5 Players You Need to Know. All 8 first-round games will be played on Saturday, March 8.