Sights and Sounds: Rio Rancho Battles Capital (Video/Recap)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SANTA FE</strong> – Rio Rancho looks ready for next week's Albuquerque Metro Tournament, annually one of the most popular events on the New Mexico high school hoops calendar.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two days after winning their own Holiday Tournament in thrilling fashion, the unbeaten Rams made the short trip to the Edward Ortiz Gymnasium for a matinee matchup against Capital.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a competitive start, Rio Rancho's superior length, speed, strength and depth shined throughout the final 2-1/2 quarters in a 87-51 victory over the Jaguars. The Rams' front court trio of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2706557' first='Noah' last='Lovato']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2402350' first='Kayden' last='Decker']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2694572' first='Cayden' last='Richardson']</strong> is as talented as any in the state. Because of them, the Rams will be a tough out for anybody when March comes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rams led, 21-16, early in the second quarter when they began to pull away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 19-4 run featuring back-to-back 3-pointers in quick succession (the second by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1698813' first='Chris' last='Lucero']</strong>) provided Rio Rancho with a 40-20 lead. A conventional three-point play by Capital forward <strong>Angel Maquez</strong> at the halftime buzzer gave the Jaguars a temporary reprieve from the onslaught.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rio Rancho led, 40-23, at halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rio Rancho used a 16-2 run at the outset of the third quarter to take a commanding 56-25 lead by the midway point of the third quarter. The Rams' relentless pressure in the backcourt began to have an effect as Capital turned the ball over several times near midcourt, leading to easy transition baskets for the Rams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The advantage only grew from there. By the fourth quarter, we had a running clock since Rio Rancho led by 35 or more points for a portion of the final eight minutes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rio Rancho will take a perfect 9-0 record into next week's Albuquerque Metro Tournament. The Rams face West Mesa in the first round on Tuesday at WMHS.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Scoreboard – Friday, Jan. 2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rio Rancho 87, Capital 51</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manzano 61, Grants 48</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eldorado 58, West Mesa 48</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Pius X 56, Bloomfield 49</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taos 62, Gallup 55</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mountainair 58, Quemado 41</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mesilla Valley Christian 72, Cottonwood Classical 43</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rio Rancho vs. Capital</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Video 1: First Half</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/ZhxMUifsIOs?si=KJZ7Pj4QGfOaGUOL","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/ZhxMUifsIOs?si=KJZ7Pj4QGfOaGUOL </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Video 2: Second Half</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/-f0v-moAC_k?si=npG3WhcqTu3ybrAA","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/-f0v-moAC_k?si=npG3WhcqTu3ybrAA </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->