Basketball Recap: Volcano Vista Comes Up Short in High-Profile Game with Rio Rancho

On Wednesday, Volcano Vista faced Rio Rancho in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The game between the Volcano Vista Hawks and the Rio Rancho Rams didn't end well, with the Volcano Vista Hawks falling 61-45. The Hawks were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Rams earlier this season, when they won 50-46.

Volcano Vista's loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Zoey Loretto, who posted ten points and five rebounds. Mia Zuniga was another key player, putting up 13 points.

Leading Rio Rancho to victory were Madilynn Martinez and Larissa Martinez. Madilynn went 8-for-17 on her way to 20 points in addition to six steals and five assists, while Larissa shot 43% from the field en route to 17 points and six steals. The match was Madilynn's fourth in a row with at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Serena McHugh, who went 7-for-8 to rack up 15 points.

This is the second loss in a row for Volcano Vista and nudges their season record down to 16-11. Admittedly, the team was facing some tough opposition over that stretch, including 21-6 Farmington (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 73.4% over those games). As for Rio Rancho, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-9 record this season.

Volcano Vista will challenge Clovis at 6:00 p.m. on March 7th. As for Rio Rancho, they have already played their next game, a 63-57 defeat against Farmington on the 28th.