Portales tops Bernalillo in 4A quarterfinals

ALBUQUERQUE — Sophomore Taris Rippee had 20 points to lead three Rams in double figures, and Portales passed an early-morning test Tuesday at The Pit with a 63-54 victory over sixth-seeded Bernalillo.

Portales (22-7), which also got a double-double from Kylyie Paden with 17 points and 12 boards, moves on to an 11:30 a.m. Thursday semifinal at The Pit against either second-seeded Kirtland Central or seventh-seed Gallup. The two teams tipped off after press time.

“Either team’s good,” Portales coach Wade Fraze said of the semifinal matchup. “Either team is going to bring a big crowd, which will make the atmosphere great. They’re familiar with each other and either team could win. We’re just glad to have the opportunity.”

Rippee went 7-of-12 from the field and shot 5-of-7 from the line, while adding six assists.

“She was able to get to the rim, find holes, hit open shots; it was her day,” Fraze said. “These kids, there’s not one we rely on. It could be somebody different every time out and today it was.”

The Rams took control with a 12-7 second quarter to post a 31-21 halftime advantage, and the Startans (21-7) trailed the entire second half.

Riley Shillings scored 11 points for Portales and hit three of the team’s four 3-pointers on a 4-of-10 day beyond the arc, while Kinzie Davis just missed a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.

Fraze credited his players for not letting the pressure get the best of them on their first day in Albuquerque.

“Things are going to go wrong in a game,” Fraze said. “You’re going to have little runs here and there, but the difference was they just didn’t give up. They didn’t let those little mishaps or things like that (snowball). They just kept playing.”

Juliana Aragon had 24 points to lead the Sartans while Gabby O’Hara scored 13, but only one other Bernalillo player posted more than three points on the morning.

“We knew those were their best two players, and they scored anyway,” Fraze said. “We were making a concerted effort to stop (Aragon). She could probably start for any team in the state today in any class.”