Class 5A: 1st Round Preview and 5 Players You Need 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 5A + 10 Players You Need to Know. All 8 first-round games will be played on Saturday, March 8.      West Mesa (16) at Volcano Vista (1): Sparked by two of the top players in the state in 6-foot-7 senior [player_tooltip player_id='1176300' first='Kenyon' last='Aguino'] (2-time NM Gatorade Player of the Year), who signed with Montana, and 6-foot-4 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2111977' first='David' last='Lunn'], Volcano Vista (25-2) is aiming for the four-peat. They're the overwhelming favorites to lift the blue trophy again. After a couple of narrow wins in the Metro Tournament in early January, the Hawks rampaged their way through the district schedule, winning every game by a lopsided margin. West Mesa (16-12) has lost three of its last four games, two to Atrisco Heritage, which lost to Volcano Vista by 38 points in mid-January. [player_tooltip player_id='2432180' first='Daylen' last='Holt'] is a promising freshman for the Mustangs and we'll hear a lot more about him in the future. Barring a massive upset, Volcano Vista should advance comfortably.   Cibola (9) at La Cueva (8): These Albuquerque-based schools are two of the ‘feel good' stories in Class 5A for the 2024-25 season. This should be what everybody expects from a 8-9 matchup – a close, hard-fought game. In fact, these teams met in mid-January in a non-district game and Cibola (18-10) escaped with a 3-point win (58-55). Expect the same type of game. Lethal Cibola sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2026077' first='Elijah' last='Martinez'] has already surpassed 1,000 career points and he still has two more years remaining. He can score from anywhere on the floor. He's the major reason Cibola has enjoyed its best season in nearly a decade. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for La Cueva (18-10), but somebody forgot to send the memo to the Bears' current players, including 6-foot-4 junior F [player_tooltip player_id='2694526' first='Hunter' last='Butler'], who is averaging close to 16 points and over 6 rebounds per game.         Farmington (12) at Organ Mountain (5): Organ Mountain (23-5) reached the Class 5A state championship game last March and the Knights put together another splendid season with a new roster. The Knights went undefeated in district play and swept both games in the district tournament, and will carry a 17-game winning streak into the state tournament. [player_tooltip player_id='1444750' first='Lenny' last='Washington'] (12.4 ppg; District 5A-3 Player of the Year) and [player_tooltip player_id='2684184' first='Ray' last='Venegas'] (11.1) lead a balanced offensive attack for the Knights. Farmington (19-10) makes the long journey to Las Cruces hardened by playing a very challenging district schedule. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1914028' first='Landon' last='Begay']  (18.7 ppg) has led the Scorpions in scoring all season long and his output doubles the second highest scorer ([player_tooltip player_id='1913769' first='Mikey' last='Beck']).           Carlsbad (13) at Roswell (4): A southeast New Mexico showdown between district rivals. Roswell (22-7) hasn't lost to anybody other than Hobbs since Jan. 6. Since then, the Coyotes are 1-3 against Hobbs and 13-0 against everybody else. Roswell just fell to the Eagles twice in six days. But they are still a very good basketball team. [player_tooltip player_id='2818762' first='Jacob' last='Palomino'], also the QB on the football team, is an athletic senior forward. [player_tooltip player_id='2832974' first='Jeremy' last='Sambrano'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2376308' first='Rylan' last='Sarracino'] know how to score. Carlsbad (17-11) has quietly enjoyed a solid season but they're stuck in the same district with Roswell and Hobbs. Six of their losses have come to those two teams. This will be the fourth meeting between these team since Jan. 31, so there are no secrets.       Rio Rancho (14) at Sandia (3): After watching Sandia (24-3) dismantle Santa Fe on the road in late February to clinch the regular season district title, we described the Matadors as “a well-oiled, high octane, 3-point loving, run and gun machine.” Sandia loves to shoot the 3 and they're very good at it.  They have 5 players with 30+ 3-pointers this season led by freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2714567' first='Isaiah' last='Brown'] (81) and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1687823' first='Thomas' last='Adams'] (47). Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2292960' first='Zaire' last='Ndyabagye'] does everything well – scoring, rebounding and defending. The No. 1 task for Rio Rancho (15-12) is no secret: defend the perimeter. The youthful Rams lost eight of nine games in the second half of January and early February before winning three straight (including a 79-76 win over rival Cleveland) entering the district tournament. They'll need to channel the same energy they showed against the Storm to have a chance to pull the upset.   Santa Fe (11) at Albuquerque High (6): These two teams enjoyed nice seasons but finished on disappointing notes. Albuquerque High (21-6) cruised to the District 5A-5 title but lost to Atrisco Heritage in the district tourney championship game after beating the Jaguars twice during the regular season. Until then, the Bulldogs had won 10 games in a row. Santa Fe (19-9) enters the state tournament with three losses in their last four games, albeit the first two were to La Cueva and Sandia at home. The Demons were ambushed at home by Eldorado, 70-47, in the district tournament. Santa Fe will need to turn around their fortunes quickly to advance past the first round of the state tournament.     Atrisco Heritage (10) at Cleveland (7): Two of the top (and most entertaining) players in the state clash. [player_tooltip player_id='1176301' first='Latavious' last='Morris'] vs. [player_tooltip player_id='1326930' first='Remy' last='Albrecht']? We're there (Seriously!). The senior Morris just scored his 2,000th carer point for Atrisco Heritage while Albrecht, who's still a junior, surpassed 1,500 career points last week. He should eclipse 2,000 career points by the middle of next season. Atrisco Heritage (19-10) finished the pre-state tournament schedule on a high by beating Albuquerque High for the District 5A-5 tournament title. Morris is averaging about 23 points per game along with over 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Albrecht scored a school single game record 47 points against Hobbs in mid-January. Both teams have other good players but the attention in this one is going to be squarely on Morris and Albrecht. Which superstar will lead his team to victory?        Las Cruces (15) at Hobbs (2): Two well-acquainted southern New Mexico rivals meet in the first round. Even though they compete in separate districts, this will be the third meeting this season between the Bulldawgs and Eagles. Hobbs (24-4) won the first two games by lopsided margins. Their depth has clearly given Las Cruces problems. The quartet of [player_tooltip player_id='1687828' first='Abraham' last='Pena'], 7-footer [player_tooltip player_id='1524943' first='Parker' last='Henderson'], Peyton Hodge and [player_tooltip player_id='2373625' first='Jairus' last='Turrubiates'] is arguably as good as any team in the state except for one (hint: Volcano Vista). Las Cruces (16-12) doesn't lack for talent, though. Senior point guard Bird Nevarez was named District 5A-3 Player of the Year. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2368515' first='Jayden' last='Brisby'] is one of the most dynamic young players in the state.        5 Players You Need To Know   [player_tooltip player_id='2085694' first='Drew' last='Bramlett'], La Cueva: Bramlett is another rising young star in the Albuquerque Metro region. Named the ‘Player of the Game' in La Cueva's semifinal win over Eldorado in the district tournament. Averaging close to 10 points and over 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Developing into a complete player.     [player_tooltip player_id='2684188' first='Ethan' last='Coomes'], Organ Mountain: Organ Mountain wins because they get key contributions from many players. Coomes does a lot of the dirty work for the Knights. That's why he was named District 5A-3 Defensive Player of the Year.   [player_tooltip player_id='1488493' first='Rian' last='Gonzales'], Volcano Vista: The 6-foot-3 senior guard got his 15 minutes of fam earlier this season when he set a new state record for most 3-pointers in a single game with 17. If [player_tooltip player_id='1176300' first='Kenyon' last='Aguino'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2111977' first='David' last='Lunn'] don't batter you inside, Gonzales will from beyond the arc.   [player_tooltip player_id='2714580' first='Gad' last='Harris'], Sandia: Just a freshman, Harris is one of the secret weapons for Sandia. He's averaging 12.6 points and 5.8 assists per game. On a roster as talented as Sandia's, you need to take advantage of your opportunities, which Harris does as he's shooting a team-best 59 percent from the floor. Harris is another reason Sandia is such a fun team to watch.      [player_tooltip player_id='2706557' first='Noah' last='Lovato'], Rio Rancho: The 6-foot-4 Lovato, a sophomore, emerged as a promising young player this season. He leads the Rams in scoring (12.3 ppg) while averaging close to 5 rebounds per game. If Rio Rancho wants to upset Sandia, Lovato will have to play well.     <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Dates and times are now set! Our showdown with the Scorpions will be this Saturday, the 8th at 5pm at The Castle!!! Show Up and Show Out for these great young men as they look to earn their way to The Pit, once again!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OMHS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OMHS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoKnights?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoKnights</a> ⚔️🏀⚔️<a href="https://twitter.com/OrganMountainHS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OrganMountainHS</a> <a href="https://t.co/CwtHZt6kVf">pic.twitter.com/CwtHZt6kVf</a>— Organ Mountain High School Boy's Basketball (@OMHSboysbball) <a href="https://twitter.com/OMHSboysbball/status/1896606858775044600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">1k Career points in a 27pt district win against Farmington. All glory to God✝️<a href="https://twitter.com/PrepHoops_NM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepHoops_NM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coach_bmase?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coach_bmase</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SebastianNoel47?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SebastianNoel47</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/eb_ericb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@eb_ericb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/b_keys11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@b_keys11</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Keys2Succe2023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Keys2Succe2023</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HoopsInTheQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoopsInTheQ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachTreal2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachTreal2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RL_Hoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RL_Hoops</a> <a href="https://t.co/fSukyqzihL">pic.twitter.com/fSukyqzihL</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='2026077' first='Elijah' last='Martinez'] (@ElijahMtz2027) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElijahMtz2027/status/1885439557371343111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Tough win for us against Eldorado last night. Thank you to <a href="https://twitter.com/SebastianNoel47?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SebastianNoel47</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ProViewTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ProViewTV</a> for selecting me “Player of the Game”. District Tournament Championship game tonight @ Sandia at 7:00 pm. 🐻🏀✈️✈️ <a href="https://t.co/osN0JLxpbu">pic.twitter.com/osN0JLxpbu</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='2085694' first='Drew' last='Bramlett'] (@DrewBramlett) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewBramlett/status/1895850712040710408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Thank you lord, Thank you atrisco, Thank you everyone who's supported me!🙏🏾 <a href="https://twitter.com/AtriscoJags?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AtriscoJags</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SebastianNoel47?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SebastianNoel47</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coach_bmase?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coach_bmase</a> <a href="https://t.co/8LfCt4KoXD">pic.twitter.com/8LfCt4KoXD</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1176301' first='Latavious' last='Morris'] (@Latavious_m) <a href="https://twitter.com/Latavious_m/status/1896385089610956865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Congratulations to [player_tooltip player_id='1326930' first='Remy' last='Albrecht'] on 1500 points! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StormBasketball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StormBasketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EarnIt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EarnIt</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coachzcole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachzcole</a> <a href="https://t.co/DRTqfljHSo">pic.twitter.com/DRTqfljHSo</a>— Cleveland Storm Basketball⚡️ (@cleveland_bball) <a href="https://twitter.com/cleveland_bball/status/1895509223620100303?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We earned this #3 seed! Very excited to play in the state tournament! When: Saturday Location: Sandia Time: 6pm <a href="https://twitter.com/adams_thomas11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@adams_thomas11</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ze3hoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ze3hoops</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/gad0209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gad0209</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jjminnifield?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jjminnifield</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ttadams11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ttadams11</a> <a href="https://t.co/9jhCH6tGMY">pic.twitter.com/9jhCH6tGMY</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='2714567' first='Isaiah' last='Brown'] (@zay32brown) <a href="https://twitter.com/zay32brown/status/1896601912667238445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 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 5A + 10 Players You Need to Know. All 8 first-round games will be played on Saturday, March 8.