Clovis buries Bulldogs

CLOVIS - The other night after tying Larry Bird for sixth on the NBA's all-time triple-double list, LeBron James smiled and said his greatness was not about the individual, it was all about team, drawing somewhat of a "Yeah, right" reaction from many.

For the Clovis boys basketball program, which doesn't happen to have LeBron on its roster, it is indeed all about team. And that was certainly on full display against Borger Friday night at Rock Staubus Gymnasium, as the Wildcats picked each other up, continually found each other with great court vision, played effectively in transition and ran their fast break to near-perfection.

The result was a 76-38 rout, Clovis' second lopsided win in a row. Perhaps more importantly, it was the Wildcats' second win in a row,the first time this season they've accomplished that feat.

It seems like the 'Cats, though still only 3-5, are working themselves into a solid team.

"I think so," Clovis head coach Scott Robinson said. "I think we had a tough schedule early, played some good basketball against some really good teams, came up short, but the experience was invaluable. I do think we're starting to come together and find ourselves."

"I feel that we have the hardest schedule in the state," Clovis senior Jakeem Wynn said after tying teammate Dominick Urioste with Friday's team-high of 15 points. "We needed to come together, but we're clicking now."

They clicked from the outset and took command early against Borger Friday night. In an example of the team basketball Clovis was playing, sophomore post Bryce Cabeldue scored only two points in the first half, but factored into the Wildcats' first six of the game. In the opening seconds, he came up with a steal and assisted a Romero layup to get Clovis on the board with a 2-0 edge. After Borger's ensuing trip down the other way resulted in a miss, Cabeldue snared a defensive rebound starting a Wildcat possession that ended with a layup from Wynn.

Borger quickly called timeout, trying to quell the momentum Clovis had built early, but it did not have the intended result - Borger failed to score again and the Wildcats' next possession ended with Cabeldue punching one in off a slick assist from fellow sophomore Dewayne Dawson.

Consecutive buckets from Borger's Tyler Onsurez sliced Clovis' lead to 6-4, and the Bulldogs were soon on the attack again before their offensive possession was cut short by a Romero steal, followed shortly by his own basket.

A Marlon Jones layup brought the Bulldogs within 8-6, but Urioste canned a left-elbow trey - his first of four from beyond the arc - and Wynn was there to tip in a missed Dawson layup. Teamwork was putting an extra crackle into Clovis' offense.

Borger climbed within 13-10 and later 15-11, but two right-elbow treys from sophomore Josiah Lombrana sandwiched around a Bulldog hoop made it 21-13. A Jacob Moon layup off a Romero feed drew a foul, and when he hit the ensuing free throw Clovis had a 24-13 advantage to carry into the next period.

A David Rosemond putback to open the second-quarter scoring kept Clovis rolling, and the Wildcats continue to roll, all the way to a second-half running clock and a blowout win. Team ball really did the trick.

"We've got an unselfish group," Robinson said, "and I thought they exhibited that tonight. They distributed the ball and they turned down shots to get their teammates better shots. ... That was really good to see."

"We just trust each other," Wynn said. "Just go in with the mentality to blow teams out that we need to blow out."

Next up for the Wildcats is area rival Portales, Tuesday at the Ram Athletic Center. The Rams have won four straight coming into the contest, most recently 79-43 Friday at Muleshoe.

"It'll be a tough game," Robinson said. "They've got a good team; it's always a competitive game with them. They've got a great home environment. ... I anticipate a good, hard-fought game."

"It's going to be a fun game," Wynn said. "It's going to be competitive. We just have to come out with the same mentality. We should be all right."