Girls Metro Basketball First Round Preview

Girls metro basketball begins Tuesday January 4th, we take a look at each of the 16 teams in this tournament and every first round match-up taking place this Tuesday night. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">#1 Volcano Vista vs #16 Rio Grande</span> Volcano Vista is 7-0 this season and the #1 seed in this Metro Tournament. The defending state champions look like the team to beat in this tournament led by Coach Lisa Villareal. This team is led by future New Mexico Lobo commits, [player_tooltip player_id="353694" first="Natalia" last="Chavez"] and [player_tooltip player_id="353693" first="Jaelyn" last="Bates"]. [player_tooltip player_id="353694" first="Natalia" last="Chavez"] is averaging 16.3 points per game and [player_tooltip player_id="353693" first="Jaelyn" last="Bates"] averaging 11.6 points per game. Center [player_tooltip player_id="357657" first="Taejhuan" last="Hill"] is averaging 13.0 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game. [player_tooltip player_id="353770" first="Kennedy" last="Brown"] and [player_tooltip player_id="353903" first="Angelyn" last="Aranda"] also give this team energy and defense to round out this starting five. Rio Grande is the #16 seed and have an 0-8 record this season led by Coach Ryan Noce. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">#8 Hope Christian vs #9 Rio Rancho</span> The Hope Christian Girls are 4-5 this season and are the #8 seed in this Metro Tournament. They have two nice wins vs two other teams in this Metro Tournament (West Mesa and Cibola). This team is led by senior players Taylor Sturtevant, Addy Kocurek, Alexah Montanes and Tristyn Lopez. The Rio Rancho Girls are 7-5 this season and own the #9 seed in this Metro Tournament. This team is led by captains Isabella Schalow, Halle Peterson and Olivia Bergsten. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">#5 Albuquerque vs #12 Valley</span> The Albuquerque Bulldogs are 5-4 this season and own the #5 seed in this Metro Tournament. They are led by star player [player_tooltip player_id="353909" first="Lelani" last="Love"] who is averaging 21.2 points per game and 12.3 rebounds per game this season. [player_tooltip player_id="353911" first="Ariana" last="Sanchez"] is averaging 10.3 points per game as the teams second leading scorer. The Valley Vikings are 3-5 this season and own the #12 seed in this Metro Tournament. This team is led by Shaela Carrillo and Tea Gonzales. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">#4 Cleveland vs #13 Del Norte</span> The Cleveland Storm girls have had a solid season so far with an impressive 8-4 record this year. They have defeated Albuquerque and Rio Grande who are also in this tournament. This team is led by Seniors [player_tooltip player_id="353897" first="Allyson" last="Frank"], [player_tooltip player_id="353780" first="Angelique" last="Abeyta"], Mia Nelson and Yolanda Munoz. This is a experienced roster ready to make some noise in this tournament. The Del Norte Knight are 4-4 this season and they own the #13 seed in this Metro Tournament. They are led by Mikayla Westfall who is averaging 10.4 points per game and freshman Bleona Agushi who is averaging 8.8 points per game. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">#3 Sandia vs #14 Cibola</span> The Sandia Matadors are 7-1 this season and their only loss came to Volcano Vista who is the defending 5A state champions and who is  the #1 seed in this tournament. Sandia is the #3 seed led by freshman Sydney Benally who is averaging 15.5 points per game, freshman Hope Giddings who is averaging 12.8 points per game and Audrianna Wright who is averaging 9.6 points per game. They are also led by senior [player_tooltip player_id="353766" first="Mariah" last="Maes"] who is the leader of this young Matadors team. This Sandia Matadors team are more than capable of winning this Metro Tournament. The Cibola Cougars are 1-7 this season and are the #14 seed in this Metro Tournament. They are led by captains Leilani Soriano and Paige Zapach. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">#6 Highland vs #11 West Mesa</span> Highland’s Girls are 8-2 this season and secured the #6 seed in this Metro Tournament. This is a team to keep your eyes on during this tournament. They have defeated three teams who also compete in this tournament, (Hope Christian, Del Norte and Eldorado). This team is led by [player_tooltip player_id="353744" first="Denice" last="Ryan"] who is averaging 18.2 points per game and 4.0 assists per game. They are also getting strong contributions from [player_tooltip player_id="353953" first="Aaliyah" last="Nevarez"] who is averaging 8.3 points per game. The West Mesa Mustangs are 3-5 this season and they own #11 seed in this Metro Tournament. They are led by [player_tooltip player_id="357678" first="Olivia" last="Francia"] who is averaging 11.0 points per game. [player_tooltip player_id="357677" first="Destiny" last="Jackson"] is also providing 7.1 points per game this season. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">#7 Eldorado vs #10 Atrisco Heritage</span> The Eldorado Eagles are 4-4 this season and secured the #7 seed in this Metro Tournament being led by Coach Leroy Barela. This team has been led by freshman standout [player_tooltip player_id="370329" first="Bella" last="Hines"] who is averaging 25.8 points per game and received her first D1 scholarship from the University of New Mexico. This team has defeated four schools who are also competing in this Metro Tournament, (Atrisco Heritage, Cibola, Rio Grande and Manzano). The Atrisco Heritage Academy Jaguars are 3-5 this season and secured the #10 seed in this Metro Tournament. They are led by Coach Joe Montoya. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">#2 La Cueva vs #15 Manzano</span> The La Cueva Bears are 5-3 this season and they are the #2 seed in this Metro Tournament. Their only losses this season came against Volcano Vista who is undefeated and Organ Mountain who is 9-3 this season. They are led by senior [player_tooltip player_id="353758" first="Rylie" last="Ottmann"] who is averaging 12.6 points per game and [player_tooltip player_id="357673" first="Eva" last="Love"] who is averaging 11.7 points per game. They are also getting strong contributions from Carolina Romero who is averaging 9.4 points per game and [player_tooltip player_id="353899" first="Teona" last="Savic"] who is averaging 7.3 points per game. This La Cueva Bears team is one of the favorites to win this tournament. The Manzano Monarchs are 0-9 this season and are the #15 seed in this Metro Tournament. This team is led by Coach Roger Williams. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;