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EspañolThe only Las Cruces-area teams to reach the high school basketball playoffs this season reside in Las Cruces. All five schools in the city made it on the boys' side, while three Las Cruces teams made it on the girls' side.
The playoff teams were announced during the NMAA's selection show on Sunday, March 1. Las Cruces is represented in the 5A and 2A brackets (the latter only on the boys' side).
First-round games will be played on the campus of the higher seed, while games from the quarterfinals onward are at neutral sites. The 5A quarterfinals, semifinals and championship games will take place at The Pit in Albuquerque as usual from March 10-14, with the girls' run of games beginning on the 10th and the boys' games starting on the 11th. The 2A quarterfinals and semifinals will be at the Rio Rancho Events Center from March 10-12, with the championship games at The Pit.
Take a look at which teams from the area made it, when they will play their first-round games and who they begin their playoff campaigns against:
Boys basketball
Las Cruces, Mayfield, Organ Mountain, Centennial and Mesilla Valley Christian all made the playoffs. The former four are in the 5A bracket, while the latter is in the 2A bracket.
The four big Las Cruces high schools are all in the 5A playoffs. The Bulldawgs and Hawks earned the No. 8 and No. 7 seeds, respectively, and will host first-round games, while the Trojans and Knights will travel after earning the No. 14 and No. 12 seeds, respectively.
Meanwhile, the SonBlazers are the No. 5 seed in the 2A playoffs after winning the District 3-2A regular season and tournament championships. MVCS has won 21 games and has only lost twice in 2026.
First-round games
5A: No. 10 Carlsbad (18-9) at No. 7 Centennial (20-8): 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 7
5A: No. 9 Albuquerque High (19-9) at No. 8 Las Cruces (24-5): TBA on Saturday, March 7
5A: No. 12 Organ Mountain (16-11) at No. 5 Hobbs (18-9): 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 7
5A: No. 14 Mayfield (16-11) at No. 3 Rio Rancho (24-5): TBA on Saturday, March 7
2A: No. 12 Dulce (17-10) at No. 5 Mesilla Valley Christian (21-5): TBA on Saturday, March 7
Girls basketball
Las Cruces, Mayfield and Centennial reached the playoffs in the 5A bracket. The Bulldawgs and Hawks will host first-round games as the No. 8 and No. 7 seeds, respectively, while the Trojans will travel as the No. 11 seed.
5A: No. 10 Volcano Vista (16-13) at No. 7 Centennial (20-7): 6 p.m. on Friday, March 6
5A: No. 9 La Cueva (17-10) at No. 8 Las Cruces (20-8): 6 p.m. on Friday, March 6
5A: No. 11 Mayfield (16-11) at No. 6 Los Lunas (23-5): TBA on Saturday, March 7
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: First-round playoff games for Las Cruces high school basketball teams