Balanced effort lifts Rams

No matter how many points the Portales Rams score, almost never does anyone stand out.

PHS put together a dominating first quarter — first half, really — and cruised past West Las Vegas 62-51 on Saturday night at the Ram Athletic Center, yet it wasn't until senior Zach Blaeser converted the first of two free throws with 3:17 left in the game — giving him a team-high 10 points — that anyone reached double figures.

CMI correspondent: Joshua Lucero

PHS junior Zach Campbell goes up for two points against West Las Vegas senior Joseph Ortiz during the second half of Saturday's Class 3A boys round-of-16 state tournament game at the RAC. Campbell had eight points in the Rams' 62-51 victory.

"That's just the way we play," said Rams coach Rickie McBroom, whose team faces a rematch of last year's round-of 16 game with fourth-seeded Shiprock, a 65-46 winner over Ruidoso on Saturday, in an 8:15 p.m. quarterfinal tilt on Tuesday at Rio Rancho's Santa Ana Star Center.

Six others finished with at least six points, and 10 players scored all told for the fifth-seeded Rams (18-10), who extended their season-best winning streak to five games.

Portales came out of the gates hot in the first quarter, taking an 8-2 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by junior Nathan Chavez and Blaeser. Four players each had a 3 in the period, which ended with PHS in front 21-8.

The margin was never under double digits after that.

CMI correspondent: Joshua Lucero

PHS junior Zach Campbell goes up for two points against West Las Vegas senior Joseph Ortiz during the second half of Saturday's Class 3A boys round-of-16 state tournament game at the RAC. Campbell had eight points in the Rams' 62-51 victory.

"They got some things going, and we were in a panic mode," Dons coach Ernie Rodriguez said. "We just gave them too many open looks."

The Rams continued to control the game in the second period and led 35-17 at halftime. Their biggest margin was 23 points midway through the third stanza.

"Early, we really played good defense," McBroom said of his team's 2-3 look. "Actually, I thought we were pretty consistent defensively the whole game.

"I'm so proud of these kids; they just keep fighting. And we had a great crowd again tonight."

PHS has gone to a zone the past few games, McBroom said, adding that the Rams try to pattern it after the famous 2-3 zone run by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.

"We've taken the zone we were running and modified it," McBroom said. "I think it's helping us keep the ball in front of us."

D.J. Bustos, an eighth-grader, finished with 15 points for the Dons (9-19) while senior Joe Ortiz added 14. Portales forced the Dons into 24 turnovers.