EPAC: Wolverines top Dora, seek 3-peat

PORTALES — The Texico Wolverines are on the verge of their third straight EPAC championship.

With 19 points from Aaron Vaughan, Texico held off Dora 55-39 in the semifinals of the EPAC tournament Friday at Greyhound Arena.

“We played well as a team,” Vaughan said. “We got it down on the inside when we needed to, and we made our shots from the outside when we needed to.”

Texico (8-5) outscored Dora 18-9 in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead.

“I think, basically, we were just prepared,” Texico coach Richard Luscombe said. “We had a pretty good game plan and we executed it. We missed enough in the first quarter and the first half that we really could have been ahead.”

Tyler Wilholt led Dora (10-4) with 12 points while Hugo Gonzales and Casey O’Connor with 10 each.

The Wolverines face a familiar foe in the finals — Logan, who Texico beat 53-51 in mid-December.

“It was a close game,” Vaughan said. “And I bet the next one will be a good one too.”

Logan defeated Fort Sumner in the semifinals Friday despite 22 points from the Foxes’ Jeremy Gauna.

“The Gauna kid, he’s unreal,” Logan coach Billy Burns said. “He shot well tonight. We were able to limit his touches enough that we were able to win the ballgame. That’s basically what it came down to.”

Logan (9-3) was led by Drew Perez with 21 and Jake Abercrombe with 14.

Fort Sumner coach Wes Weems said the key to the game was rebounding.

“We gave them too many second-chance opportunities,” he said. “They cleaned the glass better than we did.”

Burns said he is looking forward to a rematch with the Wolverines.

“We’re excited about it,” Burns said. “I think we’ve got something to prove. They whupped us at their place.”