Rio Rancho and Sandia are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2015, but not for long. The Rio Rancho Rams will square off against the Sandia Matadors at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Rio Rancho is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They came out on top against Los Lunas by a score of 56-45.
Madilynn Martinez
| 03/07/25 vs Los Lunas | 24 |
| 02/28/25 @ Farmington | 19 |
| 02/26/25 @ Volcano Vista | 20 |
| 02/25/25 vs Piedra Vista | 23 |
| 02/24/25 vs Cibola | 17 |
| + 2 more games |
Rio Rancho found their leader in freshman Madilynn Martinez, who went 9-for-15 en route to 24 points. Martinez's evening made it seven games in a row in which she has scored at least 16 points. Lilly Martinez was another key player, putting up seven points and six steals.
Rio Rancho was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They are 17-5 when they've passed the ball that well.
Meanwhile, Sandia had already won 13 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 36.8 points) and they went ahead and made it 14 on Friday. They strolled past the Hawks with points to spare, taking the game 59-42. Given the Matadors' advantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked second, while the Hawks are ranked 31st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Rio Rancho better keep an eye on Sydney Benally. She was instrumental in Sandia's win, shooting 52% from the field to rack up 27 points in addition to six boards and three steals. Benally is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last 12 games she's played. Another player making a difference was Nadia Randall, who dropped a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds.
Rio Rancho is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-10 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.5 points over those games. Sandia's record now sits at 27-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Rio Rancho has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Sandia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Rio Rancho couldn't quite get it done against Sandia in their previous matchup back in January as they fell 52-44. Can Rio Rancho avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
