The annual APS Metro Basketball Championships tip off today, with second-round games on Wednesday, third-round contests on Friday and finals taking place Saturday.

It’s no longer strictly a “Metro” event, with Hobbs, Santa Fe and Gallup sending girls’ teams from beyond the Metro area;  Hobbs and Santa Fe sent boys’ team, too.

Following are the games involving the City of Vision’s varsity teams.

Because of the complexity of 16-team brackets, be sure to check out https://www.aps.edu/athletics/albuquerque-metro-championships/copy_of_APSBasketballMetro2023.pdf

GIRLS

Rio Rancho High School (7-4) has the unenviable task of opening the tournament Tuesday vs. the perennial playoff-bound Hobbs Eagles.

The game takes place at 5:30 p.m. today at Cibola High School, where Rams coach Lori Mabrey once stalked the sideline.

The other game Tuesday at Cibola, one of four high school venues for the girls, is at 7, when host Cibola meets La Cueva.

Tuesday’s winners meet Wednesday at Cibola at 7, after the losers’ contest there at 5:30.

Wednesday’s winner 7 p.m. winner plays again Friday at 5:30 at Atrisco Heritage Academy, while that game’s losers do likewise in a 4 p.m. game

The Wednesday winner of the Tuesday losers’ game advances to La Cueva for a 5:30 game Friday; the loser plays at La Cueva Friday at 4.

Cleveland High School (9-4) opens up Metro action Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Eldorado, facing West Mesa, while host Eldorado meets Santa Fe there at 7.

Tuesday’s winners at EHS meet there again Wednesday at 7:15, after the Tuesday losers face off there at 5:30. The winner of the 5:30 contest heads to La Cueva, while the winner of the latter game goes south to Atrisco Heritage Academy for that early evening game Friday.

In what could be an all-city semifinal game, if the Rams and Storm win their first two games, Cleveland and Rio Rancho would be in that 5:30 game Friday at AHA.

The tournament’s third-place game is Saturday at noon at AHA; the girls’ championship game is at 4 on Saturday, also at AHA.

To see the bottom half of the bracket, visit the APS Athletics website and click on the Metro link for basketball.

BOYS

Unlike the girls’ bracket, the city’s teams are in different halves of the bracket.

Rio Rancho (8-4l) faces La Cueva Tuesday at 7:15 on the Bears’ floor, following the 5:30 tilt between Volcano Vista, last year’s state champ, and Albuquerque High.

Tuesday’s winners meet at La Cueva Wednesday at 7:15, following the 5:30 game between Tuesday’s losers.

The winner of Wednesday’s 7:15 game heads to Albuquerque High Friday  at 5:30 for a semifinal; West Mesa-Hobbs, and Eldorado-Del Norte are in the other part of the Rams’ upper-half of the bracket.

The boys’ championship game is also at Bulldog City at 6 p.m. Saturday

Cleveland High (9-2) meets Hope Christian Tuesday at Manzano High School at 5:30, followed by the host Monarchs meeting Highland.at 7:15.

Tuesday’s winners meet Wednesday at Manzano at 7, after the losers’ contest there at 5:30.

Wednesday’s 7 p.m. winner plays again Friday at 5:30 at Albuquerque High at 7:15; that game’s loser heads to Manzano for Friday and Saturday games.

Wednesday’s early game winner heads to Volcano Vista; that game’s loser travels to Manzano for its Friday game, and then to West Mesa, win or lose, on Saturday.