Playoff Week: The three biggest questions in 5A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Welcome to March! The most exciting time of the basketball season as the 2025 State Tournament will commence. The Round of 16 for each of the respective classes, begins on March 7. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Listed below are the 5A matchups -- Plus an in-depth analysis of the three biggest questions for the playoffs!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"center"} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">Round of 16</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>*The team with higher ranking, listed at the top, is the home team for the Round of 16*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 1 Hobbs (26-1)</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 16 Piedra Vista (12-16)</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 8 Clovis (21-7)</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 9 Volcano Vista (16-11)</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 5 Albuquerque High (21-5)</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 12 Carlsbad (18-10)</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 4 Farmington (22-6)</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 13 Cleveland (13-14)</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 3 Mayfield (24-3)</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 14 Roswell (14-13)</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 6 La Cueva (20-7)</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 11 Las Cruces (18-9)</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 7 Los Lunas (23-6)</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 10 Rio Rancho (20-10)</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:table {"className":"is-style-stripes"} --> <figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 2 Sandia (26-1)</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No. 15 Centennial (12-15)</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Three biggest questions:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Will Sandia go back-to-back?</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Matadors, who are in the midst of a 13-game winning-streak, are the 5A-District 2 Champions and No. 2 overall seed, in the 5A Tournament. Thanks to a balanced roster and great play on both ends of the court, Sandia has both a top three offense and defense. On the year, Sandia is scoring 68.7 points per game, the top mark in 5A. On the flip-side, they are allowing just 34.4 points per game, the third lowest. But will those numbers, hold up? Stay tuned. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='391103' first='Sydney' last='Benally'], [player_tooltip player_id='391104' first='Hope' last='Giddings'] and [player_tooltip player_id='391109' first='Audriana' last='Wright'], arguably the best trio in the State, are accounting for 42.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 7.9 steals per game for the Matadors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Can Albuquerque High reach the Elite 8?</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bulldogs, who have been eliminated in the Round of 16, in each of the last two seasons, are in a position to finally get over the hump and advance to the next round. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 2024, AHS was the No. 10 seed and suffered 57-36 loss at No. 7 Eldorado. Before that in 2023, as the No. 9 seed, AHS fell 60-46 at No. 8 Sandia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now in 2025, as the No. 5 seed, they get the coveted home-game. The significance behind this, the potential atmosphere from the faithful Bulldog crowd. What's more, the 5A-District 5 Champions, return several players with playoff experience. Such players include [player_tooltip player_id='648201' first='Lailah' last='Bouldin'], [player_tooltip player_id='839434' first='Zaiyah' last='Hawley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='648216' first='Maliyah' last='Lee']. This season, Bouldin, Hawley and Lee are averaging a combined 26.7 points per game for Coach Morrison and the 21-5 Bulldogs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Which teams can win on the road?</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Answer: No. 10 Rio Rancho</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rams own a 7-5 road record and are scoring 56.7 points per game. [player_tooltip player_id='648192' first='LillyAnna' last='Martinez'], [player_tooltip player_id='839457' first='Madilynn' last='Martinez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1068445' first='Larissa' last='Martinez'] have combined to average 32.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 9.5 steals per game thus far in 2024-25. If the Martinez siblings find their rhythm early, it can be a long night for the Los Lunas back-court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Answer: No. 11 Las Cruces</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To this point, the Bulldawgs have a 7-4 road record versus opponents from in-state and are averaging 49.7 points per game. The senior duo of [player_tooltip player_id='814476' first='Bethzy' last='Quinones'] and [player_tooltip player_id='403412' first='Danae' last='Pacheco'] have put up 23.2 points per game to go along with 7.1 rebounds and 5.5 steals. If Quinones and Pacheco are able to knockdown shots, the rest of the offense opens up, particularly the cutting-game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>*Statistics via MaxPreps*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->