As if three days of high school hoops and a University of New Mexico women’s game in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament this month weren’t enough, Santa Ana Star Center plays host to two more basketball games Monday evening.

This time, senior all-star squads from the metro area hit the court, including several Rio Rancho High School cagers.

The first Senior Charity Classic is actually a rebirth what used to be the East-West All-Star games, which were played each spring at The Pit. Those games, sponsored by the Bernalillo County Parks and Recreation Department, ceased after the 2006 contests were played.

Rio Rancho senior guard Megan Muniz vies for a loose ball during the state tournament. Muniz, the Gatorade Player of the Year in New Mexico, will play Monday.

“That game folded,” says RRHS girls coach Bob McIntyre. “This game came about as we thought about getting the east-west game back, because you can have to all-star games. I approached Tony Otero and Joe Sheville of the New Mexico National Guard. The timing was right.”

Playing a key role in securing the game for the Star Center was the new Rio Rancho Youth Governing Body, led by “mayor” Chanel Wiese.

Rio Rancho Mayor Tom Swisstack lauded the work of the seven area students.

“This is a good example of how our youth could help think outside the box and how it helped bridge this event to, again, have people experience the Santa Ana Star Center,” Swisstack said. “I think their team approach on this event is an indication of what we can expect in the future.”

McIntyre said proceeds from the event would go to the University of New Mexico Childrens Hospital.

The girls game will tip-off at 5:30 p.m.; the boys game will start at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for students and $1 for children ages 12 and under.

Both games will be aired on 101.7 FM, “The Team,” with Mike Roberts describing the action.

Three Rams girls – scoring leader Megan Muñiz, Tracy Fosterling and Ashlynn Steffensen -- will see plenty of action, as will Rams boys Jorel Johnson, the team’s scoring leader, and Nick Perro, arguably the team’s best 3-point shooter. Muñiz, Fosterling and Steffensen certainly won’t be strangers to the Star Center: Their Rams beat Valley there on March 10 in a state quarterfinal game and then saw their season end on the same court after a loss to La Cueva two days later.

McIntyre said he was hopeful the game could be an annual event, provided more people get involved behind the scenes.

“Most of the work has been done in the last week-and-a-half, two weeks,” he said. “Then Joe O’Neill and The Team jumped all over it. It’s not divided east and west.

“The initial concept was to allow another school to take it and run with it next year,” he said. “I think the people sponsoring it will stray behind it. It’s pretty much all volunteer. Referees are donating their time, not only on the floor but on the clock and (score) book. You’re not going to find a better facility.

“This is probably the best senior class available under this format that I can remember,” McIntyre continued. “It’s an all-star game and we wanted to try to get the best players on the floor if, we could – and we accomplished that for the most part. It came together really fast. The future will entail a lot more planning and legwork; it can generate more than twice that in one night. The key is volunteers. People have stepped up eagerly; I believe there’s plenty more out there.

“We’re hoping to raise close to $5,000.”

The girls teams will be coached by La Cueva assistants Terry Weaver and Abbie Letz, plus Los Lunas assistant Pat Powers.

Their Team Warriors roster includes Nicky Ingram, Taylor Tvede and Brittany MacIntosh from La Cueva; Jordan McGee, Brittney Brown and Megan Bass (Eldorado); Cierra Jones (Albuquerque High), Latisha Adams (West Mesa), Whitney Polowski (Manzano), Brooke Serrano (Los Lunas), Andrea Torgrimson (Hop Christian) and Zalika Dyson (Cibola).

Team Blizzard, coached by RRHS assistants Patrick Puentes and Dominic Carrera, plus Valley assistant Abe Lopez, consists of Caitlyn Boal, Alix Membreno and Jordan Unversagt (St. Pius X), twins Brandi and Kristen Valencia (Moriarty), Andrea Lopez and Miriam Rathner (Valley), Micaela Medina (Del Norte), Casey Stambaugh (Belen), plus the trio of Rams.

In the boys contest, Team Warriors, coached by Academy assistant Roy Morgan and Valley assistant William “EZ” Panas, will be made up of

Ryan Gesiakowski (Manzano), Joe Zamora (West Mesa), Bryan Blaine and Wes Enns (La Cueva), Patrick Holmes (Valley), Chad Adams and Eric Watson (Highland), Jo Moquino (Sandia), Connor Pierce (Hope), Ryan Myers and Calvin Farmer (St. Pius), Michael Baca (Academy) and Lawrence Armijo (Belen).

Team Blizzard will be coached by RRHS assistant Nick Gerard and Sandia Prep assistant Brian Tregembo. That roster consists of Mark Tenorio and

Jordan Burd (Manzano), Tyler McDonald (Eldorado), Spenser White and Max Walter (Los Lunas), Jordan Howard and Marcus Franco (Highland),

Daniel Hessinger (Belen), Chris Garnand (Bernalillo), Bill Reinicke (Sandia Prep), Josh Lujan (St. Pius) and the two Rams.