Rams familiar with quarterfinal foe

When the Portales Rams face Shiprock in tonight's Class 3A boys state quarterfinal game at Rio Rancho's Santa Ana Star Center, they'll see a lot of the same faces as last year when they played the Chieftains in Shiprock and lost 75-60 in a round-of-16 game.

PHS coach Rickie McBroom, an assistant last season, hopes playing on a neutral floor and having a bit more experienced roster will help this time.

Still, he said the Rams' work is cut out.

"They're a lot of the same kids as last year," McBroom said of the Chieftains (23-5). "They're good, no doubt about that."

That said, the Rams (18-10) are coming in with momentum and on a season-best five-game winning streak.

Joshua Lucero: CMI correspondent

Portales junior Zach Campbell slips past West Las Vegas senior Joseph Ortiz for a basket during the second half of Saturday's game at the Ram Athletic Center.

"We're playing well," McBroom said. "The kids have had really good practices, and they seem to be focused."

Shiprock likes to get the ball up and down the court, a style which isn't the norm for the Rams but one they're hardly uncomfortable playing.

The Chieftains' top players are 5-9 junior point guard Hiram Gleason, 6-1 junior guard Justin Begay and 6-1 senior post Patdric Toehe. McBroom said Gleason is the team's main ballhandler, Begay the best shooter and Toehe the top inside player, although he can shoot from the perimeter as well.

"Those three kids are really, really good," McBroom said. "They played a lot together growing up."

The Rams have faced some opponents recently who like to play a style similar to Shiprock, McBroom said.

"They want to get the ball out and go," he said. "We've got to get back (on defense) and take away their baskets in transition."

Other than a relatively little-used 6-foot-4 sub, Shiprock's tallest player is 6-2 and that's an advantage the Rams want to exploit.

"I think our size will be a factor," McBroom said. "Hopefully, we can slow them down a little on defense."

The winner advances to a 1:15 p.m. semifinal game on Friday at The Pit in Albuquerque against either top-seeded Hope Christian or ninth-seeded Lovington.

Gameday

Portales (5, 18-10) vs. Shiprock (4, 23-5)

When & where: 8:15 p.m. today at Santa Ana Star Center, Rio Rancho

How they got here: Both teams won at home on Saturday in the round-of-16, the Rams beating West Las Vegas 62-51 and the Chieftains taking out Ruidoso 65-46.

Last year: Portales lost at Shiprock 75-60 in the round-of-16, while the Chieftains were summarily bounced by Las Vegas Robertson 93-65 in the quarterfinals.

Of note: Ruidoso is the teams' only common opponents. The Rams own a pair of one-point wins over the Warriors in District 4-3A play. … Four of Shiprock's losses are on neutral courts (7-4). The Chieftains are 11-1 at home and 5-0 in true road games. … Shiprock won the District 3-1A title, going 6-0. No other teams from the district qualified for state.

— Compiled by Dave Wagner