The stage will turn to the boys on Saturday with 40 first-round games in the high school state basketball tournament, including a dozen games in the Albuquerque metro area.
Here are 10 games worth watching:
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No. 9 Albuquerque High School (19-9) at No. 8 Las Cruces (24-5), Class 5A first round, 4 p.m.: This is a scary tie for the District 5-5A champion Bulldogs, as the once-No. 1 Bulldogs certainly won’t emerge as a regular No. 8 seed this season.
The game showcased several skilled big men: AHS’s Ethan Oetzel, Las Cruces’ Ben Walton, a 6-5 combo guard.
No. 11 Farmington (18-10) at No. 6 Sandia (20-9), Class 5A first round, 5 p.m.: The Bulldogs are hoping to make another trip to the state finals, but they can’t get past the Scorpions, who have been battle-tested (to say the least) in District 1-5A. To that end, Farmington was the only lower seed to win in the 5A first round last year.
Sandia finally has all the pistons, but can they all fire together over the next two weeks?
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No. 11 Poplar Classical Prep (17-10) at. No. 6 BOSQUE SCHOOL (17-10), Class 3A first round, 6 p.m.: Two District 5-3A rivals meet here in the first round, and CCP took the Bobcats in their first meeting, so be careful with the No. 11 seed in this game.
Bosque junior guard Josiah Wilson is one of 3A’s top players, and the Coyotes – making only their second playoff appearance in boys basketball – faced a determined Bosque team that had a coaching change late in the season and wasn’t too happy about it.
No. 9 PORTALES (14-13) at No. 8 BELEN (18-11), Class 4A first round, 5 p.m.: Don’t be put off by the Rams’ nearly .500 record; their extremely tough schedule shows it. Portales’ season culminated with a halftime buzzer-beater against Artesia.
This should be one of the best 4A tilt games of the weekend.
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No. 10 Robertson (17-12) vs. No. 7 East Mountain (25-3), Class 3A first round, 6 p.m.: This is one of the most interesting pairings on the New Mexico State grid Saturday.
On one hand, the kids of the defending state champion Cardinals know how to get things done in March. The Timberwolves, on the other hand, are 0-3 against Del Bosque this season and 25-0 otherwise.
No. 11 Goddard (12-15) at No. 6 Albuquerque Academy (17-11), Class 4A first round, 5 p.m.: Like Portales, the Rockets’ record doesn’t quite match up with their seeding line, and they’ve lost a bunch of close games that left some scar tissue.
The Chargers have played some solid basketball the past few weeks heading into the playoffs, but have yet to find a way to be in the right position in close games.
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No. 12 Sandia Preliminary (13-14) vs. No. 5 Santa Fe Indians (23-5), Class 3A first round, 4 p.m.: While this road environment will be intimidating for the Sundevils, it won’t be unfamiliar. SFIS defeated Sandia Prep 58-55 two months ago in Santa Fe, so Sandia Prep should have some confidence despite its poor record.
To its credit, SFIS persevered through a difficult offseason and regular season after former coach Jason Abeta was killed in a car accident last April, and the Braves were certainly a sad choice for this tournament.
No. 10 Menard (21-8) at No. 7 Escalante (21-7), Class 2A first round, 5 p.m.: The Panthers made a surprise head coaching change just a few weeks ago, so it’s hard to know how Menard will react when they take on the Wolves on the road on Saturday.
The Panthers do have momentum, having won seven straight heading into this game.
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No. 9 New Mexico Military Academy (17-9) at No. 8 Tohachi (23-6), Class 3A first round, 3 p.m.: The Cougars have played teams from the western half of the state and northwest corner throughout their schedule, so it should provide an interesting contrast in style when Tohachi welcomes the Colts.
The Cougars have a strong trio in DeAndre Rios, Micah Candelaria and Myles Candelaria, so NMMI will need to stay sharp.
No. 9 Mora (18-11) vs. No. 8 Tucumcari (14-13), Class 2A first round, 5 p.m.: The Rangers have a prime opportunity to return the favor in the first round and see how the Diamondbacks beat Mora on the road before Christmas.
James Yodice covers sports prep for The Wall Street Journal. You can contact him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via @JamesDYodice.