The Sandia Matadors will take on the Rio Rancho Rams at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Sandia is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last nine games.
Sandia is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: La Cueva, who was ranked eighth at the time (Sandia was ranked third). Sandia walked away with a 52-43 victory over La Cueva on Saturday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last eight times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Zaire Ndyabagye continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double with 16 points and 19 boards. What's more, he posted four blocks, the most he's had since back in December of 2023. Thomas Adams was another key player, putting up eight points.
Sandia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 13 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Rio Rancho's good fortune finally ran out last Tuesday. They fell 68-61 to Farmington.
Despite the loss, Rio Rancho saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Noah Lovato shot 64% from the field to rack up 24 points and five rebounds. Lovato's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least 17 points. Another player making a difference was Kevin Archuleta, who went 7-for-13 on his way to 14 points.
Sandia pushed their record up to 24-3 with the win, which was their 12th straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 77.5 points over those games. As for Rio Rancho, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sandia has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Rio Rancho struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Sandia beat Rio Rancho 72-62 in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Rio Rancho's Jayden Johnson, who shot 56% from the field en route to 20 points in addition to six boards and six steals. Now that he won't be playing on Saturday, will it be easier for Sandia to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
