Rio Rancho Girls Edge Farmington 53-49 at Scorpion Arena, Win District Title

Scorpion Arena was the site Friday night where Rio Rancho edged defending district champion Farmington 53-49, paced by sophomore guard Madi Martinez’s 29 points and a late 3-pointer that put the Rams ahead with 1:30 remaining. The victory secured the District 1-5A tournament championship and pushed Rio Rancho’s record to 24-4.

Farmington led 13-10 after one quarter, but Rio Rancho powered past the Scorpions with an 18-7 second quarter to take control at halftime. The third quarter saw Farmington outscore Rio Rancho 14-11, leaving the Rams with a slim margin entering the fourth; the quarter-by-quarter line was Rio Rancho 10-18-11-14 = 53, Farmington 13-7-14-15 = 49.

The fourth quarter unfolded in bursts of momentum. Senior Chenoa Parrish opened the final period with a 3-pointer and Martinez immediately answered with a 3 of her own. Late in the period 6-foot-2 senior Kaci McHugh fouled out for Farmington, and senior Amry Garfield knocked down four consecutive free throws to tie the game at 47 with about three minutes remaining. A player listed only by the surname Jack responded with a basket to keep Rio Rancho ahead, then Martinez converted a deep 3 to push the Rams ahead 51-49 with 1:30 to play. Moments later sophomore Larissa Martinez intercepted a pass, allowing Rio Rancho to run the clock until Farmington fouled and sent Madi Martinez to the line, where she sank both free throws to ice the win.

Rio Rancho’s 2-1 edge in the season series over Farmington marks a reversal from last season, when Farmington swept Rio Rancho 3-0. Both teams enter postseason play with strong résumés: Rio Rancho 24-4, Farmington 23-4, and MaxPreps lists Farmington No. 2 and Rio Rancho No. 3 in Class 5A. The district outcome is not expected to dramatically change Class 5A state seeding; the New Mexico Activities Association will release brackets and pairings Sunday, and both schools are slated to host opening-round state games on Friday night.

Rio Rancho head coach Lori Mabrey praised her players’ preparation and teamwork: “We have a great group of kids and they’ve worked so hard. They’ve been chomping away at it bit by bit. They played excellent together and I’m very proud of them.”

Elsewhere in metro district finals, Albuquerque High defeated Los Lunas 33-28 to win the District 5-5A title, and Valencia beat Highland 49-34 as Jaiden Montgomery scored 19 and reached the 1,000-point career mark. Several other district finals were scheduled Saturday, including boys 2-5A Sandia vs. La Cueva at 3 p.m. at La Cueva, boys 5-5A Albuquerque High vs. Atrisco Heritage at 4 p.m. at Albuquerque High, and boys 1-5A No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 2 Volcano Vista at 6 p.m. at Volcano Vista.