MaxPreps 2016 New Mexico high school basketball playoffs preview

Video: Alexis Reyes's highlights vs. Eldorado High School
See highlights of the Valley High player in action.

If the seedings are accurate, Onate (Las Cruces) and Cibola (Albuquerque) will be crowned respective boys and girls Class 6A state basketball champions this weekend in New Mexico. Action begins today. Click here to see the MaxPreps New Mexico boys basketball playoff brackets and girls basketball playoff brackets.

Boys preview

The Onate (Las Cruces) Knights will take a 24-4 record into the 6A quarterfinals Wednesday against defending state champion Hobbs (17-10). Onate coach Saul Perez told MaxPreps that Hobbs, which returned only one starter, "still is a quality team. They have a unique style of basketball (run and gun) ... but we feel real confident and are well-prepared."

The Knights are led by the state's No. 1 player, Johnny McCants. The 6-foot-7, 200-pound senior is averaging an outstanding 19.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.9 blocks, 3.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game. He is shooting 70 percent from 2-point range and has had 23 double-doubles this year. Six-foot junior guard Joshua Harrison averages 12.7 points.

No. 2 seed Cleveland (Rio Rancho) is 22-7 and loaded with power. Perez calls Cleveland "a very quality team overall and it may be the most athletic team (in the field)."

In Class 5A, Roswell (23-2) holds the No. 1 seed, but must face defending champion Centennial (Las Cruces) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. The Coyotes have three seniors who played on the 2014 state champions and are seeking their fourth overall title.

"We've been there before," coach Britt Cooper noted. "We've won three state championships in the last seven years. We're proud to have the No. 1 seed."

Roswell is led by 6-3 senior Daniel Amador, who averages 25.3 points and 5.2 rebounds. Six-foot junior Garret Smothermon averages 12.1 points, while another junior, 6-2 Chris Mesquita, averages 11.5 points and leads the team in rebounding (7.7) and assists (5.8).

Hope Christian (Albuquerque) is a familiar name in Class 4A and holds the top seed as it goes after state championship No. 4 in a row. The Huskies, who will open against Sandia Prep (Albuquerque) on Wednesday, have compiled a 26-2 record (both losses were to 6A teams) and have won their last 16 games. They lost to 6A favorite Onate by a slim 49-38 margin.

Veteran coach Jim Murphy said, "I was concerned a little bit about our depth (in the preseason). It's a very athletic group and these guys have found a way to win."

The scoring leaders are 5-9 junior Marcus Medina (16.1), 6-2 senior Jordan Leake (15-5) and 6-3 senior Caleb Meyer-Hagen (10.5). Meyer-Hagen also averages 10.2 rebounds, Leake 3.2 assists and 5-10 junior point guard Cole Yearout averages 7.2 assists and 4.0 steals.

The 3A favorite is Lordsburg (26-1), with Texico (19-5) No. 2. In 2A, Melrose (23-3) is top-ranked, while Mora (24-5) drew the No. 2 slot. In 1A, Cliff at 19-6 is at the top with Springer (24-4) next in the seeding.

Girls preview

The Cibola (Albuquerque) girls (25-1) hope to go back-to-back in Class 6A. The Cougars, who open the quarterfinals against Valley (Albuquerque) on Tuesday, have won their last 13 games. They have played No. 2 seed Volcano Vista (Albuquerque) (22-4) three times. They lost the first meeting, 68-46, for their only defeat, but since have beaten the Hawks twice, by scores of 45-44 and 49-45. Senior Deezha Battle scored 28 on the defending champs to spark the Volcano Vista victory.

Cibola coach Lori Mabrey noted, "We are excited about the state tourney and hope we can repeat."

She has a major force in 5-10 sophomore guard Amaya Brown, who has drawn interest from the likes of national  champion UConn. Brown is averaging 18.2 points and 6.9 rebounds. Corbyn Cunningham, a 5-11 junior, is averaging 10 points and 9.8 rebounds, while 5-8 senior Dmitri Fong is averaging 8.1 points and 2.0 steals.

Gallup (26-0) is the top seed in Class 5A and one of few elite teams still undefeated. Gallup will play Piedra Vista (Farmington) in its opener. The No. 2 seed is Roswell (24-2).

In Class 4A the top seed is Portales (23-3), while Shiprock (27-3) has drawn the second seed. Another unbeaten team, Tularosa (28-0), is the top choice in 3A, with Texico (21-4) at No. 2. Class 2A seems wide open with top seed Logan having seven losses and No. 2 Ramah five losses. Ramah's Jordyn Lewis, a 5-8 senior, leads the state in scoring with a lofty 35.7 average. She also averages 5.1 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 4.7 assists.

Tiny Elida (24-3) continues to be the Class 1A power, despite having only 38 students in grades 9-12. Fourteen of them are on the girls basketball team, which is seeking its sixth-consecutive state championship. Basically the same group paced the Tigers to their sixth-straight volleyball crown last fall.

Coach Jaden Isler pointed out that the Tigers, who open against Cimarron, have not lost to a 1A school in several years. This year their only losses were to 2A and 3A schools. Though they are fairly young, they have good size and balance.

Kasyn Creighton, a 5-11 sophomore, leads the Tigers in rebounding (6.5) and scoring (8.5). Sophomore point guard Lacy Ferguson (5-3) dishes out 5.4 assists per game, while also averaging 4.3 steals and 7.3 points. Junior Madison Haley (5-6) averages 7.5 points. Senior Lauren Stone (5-11)  and junior Taylor Epps (5-10) add plenty of height.