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CMI STAFF
RIO RANCHO — As if they hadn’t done that coming in, the Hope Christian Huskies showed just why they were Class 3A’s No. 1 seed on Wednesday.
The Huskies jumped out to a 16-3 advantage after one quarter and rode a balanced effort for a 78-49 victory at the Santa Ana Star Center.
link Joshua Lucero: PNT correspondent
Ram senior forward Nathan Chavez first a 3-point attempt over Hope Christian Husky Ben Spangler during the first half of a Class 3A state quarterfinal Wednesday afternoon at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho. Chavez had eight points in the contest, a 78-49 Hope Christian win.
“They’re a really good team,” Portales coach Rickie McBroom said of the Huskies, who sent the Rams home with a 15-14 mark. “Our kids played hard and did everything they could. They just executed extremely well. It wasn’t a lack of effort on our part.”
The victory gave Hope (26-3) its 16th-straight win and moved its record against 3A teams to 12-0. The next challenge is West Las Vegas in a 9:45 a.m. Friday semifinal at The Pit, with winners moving on to the 10 a.m. Saturday title game. The Dons held off Ruidoso 73-57 in the final Class 3A quarterfinal Wednesday night.
Ten players scored at least five points for Hope Christian (26-3), including 10 each from Brandon Zabala, Dedrick Milford and Austen Drake.
“We knew we had to stop their penetration,” McBroom said. “They got the ball to the high post, and that caused us some problems. In the second quarter, their penetration hurt us.”
The Rams graduate eight seniors, many of whom were part of 33 wins over the last two seasons, but McBroom is optimistic about next season’s squad.
“I feel really good about next year,” McBroom said. “Our younger teams were very successful. The kids we have coming back, we have a lot of confidence.
“Obviously, our goal is to get past this round and get to The Pit. I think we’ll have a group of kids that could do that.”
link Joshua Lucero: PNT correspondent
Ram point guard Jarret Faust bounces a pass around Hope Christian's Brandon Zabala to teammate Matt Martinez in the second half of a Class 3A state quarterfinal Wednesday afternoon at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.
No. 1 Hope Christian 78, No. 9 Portales 49.
Portales (15-14)
Matt Martinez 1 2-2 4, Jarret Faust 1 1-2 3, Taz Tipton 0 2-2 2, Ben Martinez 1 0-2 2, Isaiah Alvarado 2 0-0 6, Daniel Sanchez 2 0-0 4, Marcos Lucero 1 0-0 2, Zach Campbell 6 6-7 18, Nathan Chavez 3 0-0 8, Totals 17 11-13 49
Hope Christian (26-3)
Brandon Zabala 4 2-3 10, Luke Dye 2 0-0 5, Jordan Leake 2 1-1 5, Zac Williams 3 2-2 8, Geoff Schermerhorn 2 1-3 5, Marques Johnson 2 0-0 4, Dedrick Milford 4 0-0 10, Ben Kocurek 4 0-0 8, Ben Spangler 2 0-0 5, Alex Bellinger 1 0-0 2, Chris Roland 3 0-0 6, Austen Drake 3 4-4 10, Totals 32 10-13 78.
Portales 5 15 11 18 — 49
Hope Christian 16 17 19 26 — 78
3-pointers — Portales, Chavez 2, Alvarado 2. Hope Christian, MIlford 2, Dye, Spangler.