First Round's Finest: Top Performers On Saturday

Saturday marked the 1st round of the state tournament with action unfolding in all five classes across the state. Here are some of the standout players:   [player_tooltip player_id='1176300' first='Kenyon' last='Aguino'], Volcano Vista: Scored a game-high 27 points as Volcano Vista beat West Mesa.   [player_tooltip player_id='1326930' first='Remy' last='Albrecht'], Cleveland: Scored 25 points for the Storm as they overcame an early deficit to beat Atrisco Heritage at the Thunderdome.   [player_tooltip player_id='1913769' first='Mikey' last='Beck'], Farmington: A 12 seed upset a 5 seed as Beck scored 19 points and grabbed 7 rebounds as Farmington made the long trip to Las Cruces and ousted favored Organ Mountain. Three of the final 8 teams in Class 5A are from District 5A-1. Farmington reached the quarterfinal round of the state tourney for the first time since 2017.   [player_tooltip player_id='2832983' first='Brycen' last='Bowie'], Cleveland: Connected on 8 3-pointers, 7 in the second half, and finished with a game high 26 points as the Storm beat Atrisco Heritage.     [player_tooltip player_id='2714567' first='Isaiah' last='Brown'], Sandia: Scored 16 points, connecting on three 3-pointers, as the Matadors beat Rio Rancho.   [player_tooltip player_id='2694526' first='Hunter' last='Butler'], La Cueva: Scored 14 points, 7 in the fourth quarter, as La Cueva held off Cibola in a 5A first-round game.   [player_tooltip player_id='2833729' first='Aden' last='Clah'], Navajo Prep: Scored 11 of his 19 points in the 1st quarter as Navajo Prep, the defending Class 3A champions, edged Hot Springs in the Four Corners.   [player_tooltip player_id='2818784' first='Eli' last='Dominguez'], Albuquerque Academy: Led 4 Charger scorers in double figures as they beat Grants.     [player_tooltip player_id='2833929' first='Ethan' last='Hazen'], Roy/Mosquero: Scored 23 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and handed out 5 assists in Roy/Mosquero's win over Dora.   [player_tooltip player_id='2819752' first='Zaine' last='Hodges'], Tularosa: Scored 13 points to lead Tularosa past East Mountain in a Class 3A first-round game.   [player_tooltip player_id='2146038' first='Clay' last='Kincaid'], Artesia: Led five Bulldog scorers in double figures as Artesia beat Gallup, 91-57 to punch their ticket to the Final 8 in Class 4A.   [player_tooltip player_id='2693635' first='Juan' last='Limas'], Highland: Scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double as the Hornets got past Del Norte in a defensive contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='2111977' first='David' last='Lunn'], Volcano Vista: Even though he's just a sophomore, Lunn surpassed the career 1,000-point mark with 16 points in Volcano Vista's convincing win over West Mesa.     [player_tooltip player_id='2026077' first='Elijah' last='Martinez'], Cibola: Scored 32 points for the Cougars to keep them in the game against La Cueva until the final minutes.   [player_tooltip player_id='2684214' first='Mason' last='Montoya'], St. Pius X: The District 4A-5 Player of the Year scored a team-high 18 points as the Sartans eliminated Goddard.   [player_tooltip player_id='2402829' first='Jerry' last='Moody'], Highland: Scored 12 points, including a pair of rim-rattling dunks in the fourth quarter, in Highland's win over Del Norte.   [player_tooltip player_id='2292960' first='Zaire' last='Ndyabagye'], Sandia: Scored a team-high 24 points and added 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals as the Matadors opened state tourney play with a 20-point win over Rio Rancho.     Bird Nevarez, Las Cruces: Scored 19 points in the Bulldawgs' loss to Hobbs.   [player_tooltip player_id='2827330' first='Ethan' last='Oetzel'], Albuquerque High: Scored 24 points as the Bulldogs gradually pulled away from Santa Fe in a 72-49 win.   [player_tooltip player_id='1687828' first='Abraham' last='Pena'], Hobbs: Scored 21 points to lead Hobbs past rival Las Cruces.     [player_tooltip player_id='2827399' first='Tristan' last='Polanco'], Hot Springs: Scored 22 points for the Tigers in their first-round loss at Navajo Prep in Farmington.   [player_tooltip player_id='2300000' first='Bryant' last='Scales'], Legacy Academy: Led the Silverbacks with 16 points, including three 3-pointers, as they beat Eunice.   [player_tooltip player_id='2827411' first='Ike' last='Smith'], Roy/Mosquero: Scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Roy/Mosquero's win over Dora.   [player_tooltip player_id='2694512' first='Tony' last='Trujillo'], La Cueva: Led the Bears with 17 points in their win over Cibola.   [player_tooltip player_id='2677085' first='Angelito' last='Villa'], Valley: Scored 15 points to lead Valley to a win over Lovington.   [player_tooltip player_id='2684845' first='Chase' last='Walton'], Raton: Scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked 5 shots in Raton's loss to Santa Rosa.   [player_tooltip player_id='2309741' first='Josiah' last='Wilson'], Bosque: Wilson scored 26 points, made 6 steals and handed out 3 assists as Bosque rallied past NMMI in Albuquerque, overcoming an 18-point first half deficit.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">BOYS BASKETBALL: Cleveland beat Atrisco Heritage on Saturday 91-75 to advance to the Quarterfinals of the Nusenda Credit Union State Basketball Championships. The Storm will face Hobbs Wednesday at 4:45pm. Here are some of the highlights (courtesy NFHS network) <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/NH9k5Tex0X">pic.twitter.com/NH9k5Tex0X</a>— NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1898847862433476642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">BOYS BASKETBALL: Volcano Vista beat West Mesa on Saturday 75-40 to advance to the Quarterfinals of the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Basketball Championships. The Hawks will play La Cueva Wednesday at 8:15pm. Here are some of the highlights (courtesy NFHS network) <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/TE7U5dpW6c">pic.twitter.com/TE7U5dpW6c</a>— NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1898821842405937362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">BOYS BASKETBALL: Highland beat Del Norte 53-32 on Saturday to advance to the Quarterfinals of the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Basketball Championships. The Hornets will play St. Pius X Wednesday at 11:30am. Here are some highlights (courtesy NFHS network) <a href="https://twitter.com/nusendacu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nusendacu</a> <a href="https://t.co/BXrmBV2qGt">pic.twitter.com/BXrmBV2qGt</a>— NMAA (@_NMAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1898818858980675997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I'm very thankful for those who have supported me during my high school basketball career. With the season being over, here are the stats for my senior season! 20.7 ppg 13.0 rpg 3.1 spg 2.7 apg 0.9 bpg 59 fg% 576 Points 351 Rebounds 83 Steals 26 Blocks 21 Double doubles <a href="https://t.co/SMME2ePzJ2">pic.twitter.com/SMME2ePzJ2</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1687863' first='Kayle' last='Covington'] (@kayl_covington) <a href="https://twitter.com/kayl_covington/status/1898852625115652428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2025</a></blockquote>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Check out this exclamation of a dunk by 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2818784' first='Eli' last='Dominguez'] (<a href="https://twitter.com/EliDominguez017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EliDominguez017</a>) to send us into the Quarterfinal round of the NMAA State Tournament. <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachGrine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachGrine</a> <a href="https://t.co/ObIPCllyCI">pic.twitter.com/ObIPCllyCI</a>— Academy MBB (@AbqAcademy_mbb) <a href="https://twitter.com/AbqAcademy_mbb/status/1898817577482346660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2025</a></blockquote>

Saturday marked the 1^st round of the state tournament with action unfolding in all five classes across the state. Here are some of the standout players: