Rio Rancho Girls Capture District 1-5A Title; Martinez Scores 29

Madi Martinez poured in 29 points to propel the third-ranked Rio Rancho Rams to a 53-49 road victory at No. 2 Farmington, clinching the District 1-5A tournament title Friday night. The sophomore guard’s scoring outburst proved decisive in a four-point win that hands Rio Rancho a district crown and advances them in the state postseason picture.

The victory continued a hot stretch for Rio Rancho. Two days earlier the Rams beat Volcano Vista 58-52 on Feb. 25, and the season includes a 65-12 rout of Cibola on Feb. 13 and a 49-43 win at Cleveland on Feb. 3, according to team game logs. Rio Rancho’s early-season run featured dominant results before Thanksgiving, including a 71-29 season opener over West Mesa, a 52-9 victory over Pojoaque Valley and a 72-13 win against Tohatchi.

Rio Rancho also claimed the Gallup Invitational championship in western New Mexico, topping the Gallup Bengals 43-38 under Coach Lori Mabrey’s direction. That tournament title and the series of wins entering district play helped the Rams secure the third-ranked slot heading into the 1-5A bracket and set the stage for Martinez’s performance in Farmington.

Friday’s district roundup produced several other local championship results. At Bulldog City, fourth-ranked Albuquerque High spotted No. 6 Los Lunas an 11-2 lead but regrouped to beat the Tigers 33-28 and capture the District 5-5A crown; Albuquerque High has now won the 5-5A title five seasons running. In District 5-4A, Valencia defeated visiting Highland 49-34, with Jaiden Montgomery scoring a team-best 19 points and reaching the 1,000-point career milestone in the victory.

Area playoff schedules and remaining finals were set for the weekend, with multiple metro matchups listed for Saturday. Sandia and La Cueva were slated to meet in boys 2-5A at 3 p.m. at La Cueva and again in the girls 2-5A final with Sandia hosting at 5 p.m. Albuquerque High was scheduled to host Atrisco Heritage for the 5-5A boys title at 4 p.m. No. 1 Cleveland and No. 2 Volcano Vista were set to collide in the 1-5A boys final at 6 p.m. at Volcano, while Del Norte and Hope were listed for the boys 6-4A final at 6:30 p.m.

With Martinez’s 29-point game and the district championship secured, Rio Rancho now moves forward into the state postseason carrying momentum from a season of lopsided wins and tournament success.