Weekend Warriors: Top Performers In District Title Clashes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prior to the NMAA announcing the brackets for the 2026 state tournament on Sunday afternoon, district tournament titles were decided throughout the state. Here are some of the standout performers from this past weekend:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2833906' first='Brody' last='Brazil'], Mountainair</strong>: Scored 23 points with five 3-pointers and made 3 steals in Mountainair's close loss to Alamo Navajo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2694526' first='Hunter' last='Butler'], La Cueva</strong>: The 6-foot-7 Butler again showed he can score from anywhere on the floor, including the 3-point arc, as he amassed 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in La Cueva's win over Sandia in the District 5A-2 title game. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Myles Candeleria, Tohatchi</strong>: Scored 20 points and grabbed 6 rebounds with 3 assists in Tohatchi's win over Navajo Prep. Tohatchi snapped Navajo Prep's 16-game winning streak with the victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eythan Castillo, Cobre</strong>: Scored a team-high 13 points and grabbed 5 rebounds as Cobre won a low-scoring battle against Hot Springs in the District 3A-3 tourney title game Friday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chris Cyphery, Albuquerque High</strong>: Scored a team-high 25 points as the Bulldogs beat Atrisco Heritage in the District 5A-5 title game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eluciano Gonzales, Tularosa</strong>: Along with <strong>Kameron Blazer</strong>, Gonzales led a balanced scoring attack with 10 points as the Wildcats defeated NMMI for the District 3A-4 title. Tularosa is 24-3 entering the 3A state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Luis Gonzales, Volcano Vista</strong>: Scored a career high 30 points, connecting on SEVEN 3-pointers, as the Hawks edged Cleveland for the District 5A-1 tourney title and secured the #1 seed for the 5A state tournament, where Volcano Vista will be seeking a five-peat. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2111977' first='David' last='Lunn']</strong> scored 20 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2827261' first='Dillan' last='McCoy'], St. Michael's</strong>: Scored 29 points, including a conventional 3-point play in the final seconds of regulation to tie the score, in the Horsemen's wild OT victory over Santa Fe Indian School that secured the #1 seed for St. Michael's in the upcoming Class 3A state tournament. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2394870' first='Kamal' last='Stith']</strong> won the game by hitting two free throws with 2 seconds left in OT. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2827330' first='Ethan' last='Oetzel'], Albuquerque High</strong>: Led the Bulldogs to the District 5A-5 title by scoring 20 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in a win over Atrisco Heritage. The 6-foot-6 senior is another big guy who can score from anywhere. Knocks down threes with regularity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717248' first='Joziah' last='Salazar'], Pojoaque Valley</strong>: Scored 14 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in the Elks' loss to Taos.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nico Sanchez, Highland</strong>: Scored 31 points (10-12 on 2-point shots), grabbed 4 rebounds, handed out 6 assists and made 5 steals as the red hot Hornets secured the #1 seed for the Class 4A state tournament by trouncing Belen. Highland carries an impressive 16-game winning streak into March Madness. Led 4 Hornet scorers in double figures. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kouliebchen Tou, Centennial</strong>: The 6-foot-7 Tou, named District 5A-3 Player of the Year on Monday, led the Hawks to a comeback OT win over crosstown rival Las Cruces, scoring 27 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717327' first='Braylon' last='Vega'], Artesia</strong>: Vega scored 21 points to spark the defending Class 4A state champions to a win over Goddard in the District 4A-4 title game. Artesia is the #2 seed for the state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717329' first='Mason' last='Wallin'], Logan</strong>: Scored 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Logan continued its fierce rivalry with Fort Sumner/House with a victory in the District 1A-6 title game. Wallin, a NMHU football signee, combined with [player_tooltip player_id='1717249' first='Hayden' last='Bruhn'] for 57 points and 25 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='2402829' first='Jerry' last='Moody'] had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2309741' first='Josiah' last='Wilson'], Bosque</strong>: Led the Bobcats with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in a win over East Mountain. Wilson has been one of the hottest players in the Albuquerque Metro Region for the last month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Highlights from our District tourney championship game which we won. 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block. On to state. Let&#039;s go Bulldogs. <a href="https://twitter.com/coach_bmase?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coach_bmase</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KJ_Ford4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KJ_Ford4</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nmpreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nmpreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SebastianNoel47?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SebastianNoel47</a> <a href="https://t.co/rRLEdUkgqk">pic.twitter.com/rRLEdUkgqk</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='2827330' first='Ethan' last='Oetzel'] (@EthanOetzel) <a href="https://twitter.com/EthanOetzel/status/2028193892815065556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The 2025-26 Bulldog basketball team poses for a photo with its District 4-AAAA Tournament championship trophy.<br><br>📸Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints <a href="https://t.co/RG5airdI1z">pic.twitter.com/RG5airdI1z</a></p>&mdash; 🏀 Brienne Green 🐾 (@ArtesiaSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArtesiaSports/status/2027595354963873918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">District 2-5A Champions 🐻🐻🐻 <a href="https://t.co/PVf8IbKRf2">pic.twitter.com/PVf8IbKRf2</a></p>&mdash; lchsbbasketball (@lchsbasketball5) <a href="https://twitter.com/lchsbasketball5/status/2027893798072958995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->