Basketball Recap: Rio Rancho Falls Short Against Ranked Cleveland

On Tuesday, Rio Rancho faced Cleveland in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Rio Rancho Rams fell to the Cleveland Storm 82-76. The Rams were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Storm earlier this season, when they won 60-54.

Despite the loss, Rio Rancho still got an impressive performance from Kayden Decker, who went 8 of 11 to rack up 19 points and seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Lovato, who went 6 for 13 en route to 14 points and six boards.

Rams

Offensive Rebounds

02/04/25 @ Cleveland	18
01/30/25 @ Piedra Vista	16
01/28/25 @ Cibola	11
01/24/25 @ Volcano Vista	4
01/21/25 vs Farmington	11
+ 12 more games

Even though they lost, Rio Rancho smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in December of 2024.

Rio Rancho has been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 12-9 record this season. As for Cleveland, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season.

Rio Rancho wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 67-57 loss against Farmington on the 6th. As for Cleveland, they have also already played their next matchup, a 65-56 win against Cibola on the 6th.