Basketball Recap: Rio Grande Takes a Loss

Rio Grande was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their 13th straight loss. They came up short against the Atrisco Heritage Academy Jaguars, falling 57-31. The Ravens were probably out for revenge after losing 74-49 to them when the teams met back in December of 2023, then they'll just have to keep looking.

Despite the loss, Rio Grande still got an impressive performance from Sophia L?pez, who posted 12 points and six boards. That was a full 38.7% of Rio Grande's points, marking the seventh time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points. Mercedes Valenzuela also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.

Ravens

Previous Games

01/11/25 vs Atrisco Heritage Academy	31-57
01/10/25 vs Hope Christian	17-62
01/08/25 vs Cibola	39-46
01/07/25 vs Rio Rancho	13-64
01/04/25 vs Grants	31-65
+ 8 more games

Even though they lost, Rio Grande smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive contests.

Selim Neel had an outrageously good game for Atrisco Heritage Academy as she had 20 points in addition to six rebounds and six steals. Neel has been hot recently, having posted four or more steals the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Jasmin West, who went 6 for 15 en route to 14 points along with seven boards and five steals.

Rio Grande's defeat dropped their record down to 1-13. As for Atrisco Heritage Academy, their victory ended a nine-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-13.

Rio Grande didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 54-50 loss against Manzano on the 15th. As for Atrisco Heritage Academy, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 57-40 defeat against Eldorado on the 16th.