Excerpted from: James Yodice Journal Staff Writer
Rio Rancho saved the best, and the most unexpected, for last. And what a glorious finish it was. For the longest time Saturday night, it looked like the top-ranked Rams would be left for dead by defending state champion Manzano. But Rio Rancho, standing on the edge of disaster, fought back and earned the school's greatest sports triumph.
And so it was that the boys basketball team that ruled the state all season stood atop New Mexico's basketball mountain. Rio Rancho (30-1) capped a sensational season not in the same dominating fashion that was its trademark, but with a wild and stirring come-from-behind victory over Manzano, 75-65 in the Class 5A title game before 14,000 fans at the Pit.
"It's unreal. I've always dreamed of it, I've always heard about it, and it's unbelievable," Ram coach Brian Smith said. Manzano led the Rams by 12 points, 41-29, in the third quarter, and the defending state champion Monarchs are not prone to blowing leads. Rio Rancho simply took it away, capturing its first state title in a major sport. And on its first try to boot. "We showed all the heart in the world," junior guard Marcus Williams said.
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