ALBUQUERQUE — Rio Rancho was denied a spot in the boys Class 5A state semifinal round when fifth-seeded La Cueva beat them 87-77, avenging a loss to the Rams earlier this season and a state semifinal loss to Rio Rancho in 2007.

The fourth-seeded Rams (17-12) saw their nine-game winning streak end, along with the chance to repeat as state champions.

The Bears (20-9) move into a Thursday semifinal vs. the winner of the Cibola-Clovis quarterfinal, played after press time Wednesday. The Bears have won three big-school championships; their last 5A title came in 2003.

La Cueva used a 12-0 second quarter run to turn a 26-23 deficit into a 12-point lead, and the Rams could get no closer than six the rest of the way.

The Bears led by 15 after three periods. They wound up shooting 54 percent from the field, compared to 38 percent for the Rams.

Marcus Williams had a game-high 26 points to finish his career with a school-record 2,009 points.

La Cueva, the District 2-5A champion, beat visiting Gadsden 72-64 in a Round of 16 game Saturday evening. At the same time, the Rams moved into the quarterfinals after beating visiting Alamogordo.

Rams 75, Alamogordo 64: Don’t be fooled by the final score, or if you left before halftime, when the Rams had built an 18-point lead.

Rio Rancho’s 43-29 lead at intermission didn’t last long, as the 13th-seeded Tigers (13-15) were apparently motivated by whatever their coach said at halftime.

Earlier, Williams had been on a one-man tear, scoring 13 straight points for the Rams in the second period, including 3s to start and end his baker’s dozen, plus a fast-break jam and an alley-oop dunk on a feed from Chris Newsome.

The Rams looked poised to cruise to their ninth win in a row and avenge a state quarterfinal loss to the Tigers in The Pit in 2006.

The Tigers’ third-period surge carried them to a deadlock at 51; they blew what turned into their only chance to take the lead when, after scrambling for a lose ball and getting the ball off a tie-ball situation, they traveled on their next possession.

Newsome hit a bucket with :16 left in the period, which ended with the Rams holding a 53-51 lead. It could have been more, but Williams was called for charging on a baseline drive with 2.5 ticks left.

Rio Rancho assumed control with a 7-2 run to start the fourth quarter, thanks to two baskets by Josh Walker, and the Tigers could get no closer than four the rest of the way.

Williams finished with a game-high 23. Newsome didn’t start but scored 18 and Jorel Johnson supplied a pair of first-half treys en route to 12 points. Also scoring for the Rams were Walker with 8; Josh Quintana with 6 first-period points; Isaac Aragon with 6 fourth-quarter points; and P.J. Horgan with 2.

Ram dunks: Other first-round winners Saturday were No. 1 Clovis, 89-64 over Oñate; No. 2 Hobbs, 81-53 vs. Valley; No. 6 Mayfield, 78-74 in three overtimes vs. Manzano; No. 10 Albuquerque High, pulling off a mild 59-51 upset at Los Lunas; and No. 8 Cibola, which beat Sandia 56-42. The big upset of the night was No. 14 Gallup winning at No. 3 Highland, 65-63.