Rams hold off late comeback by Elks

Get to the line about four dozen times? You're going to have to try harder than that.

Make highlight reel plays? Maybe that will help.

CMI correspondent: Joshua LuceroRams junior Isaiah Alvarado weaves his way between Pojaoque's Edwin Fierro and Adan Lopez during the second quarter of of Friday's Portales Shoot Out boys matchup against Pojoaque at the Ram Athletic Center.

Destroy them on the boards? You're getting closer.

Portales had to do all of those things, and found just enough of a mix of them to edge a hard-charging Pojoaque Valley squad 68-64 to close out the first day of the Portales Ram Shootout.

Senior Zach Blaeser had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists to lead a balanced attack for the host Rams (6-5), who led the entire second half but lost most of an 11-point lead against relentless Elks pressure.

"Pojoaque puts pressure on you for 32 minutes," Ram coach Rickie McBroom said. "Our kids did just a great job of being disciplined in the press and finding the open man. Even when they miss shots, they get into their press. You never get a second to relax against them."

Well, that wasn't entirely true. The Rams had plenty of chances to catch their breath thanks to 33 Elk fouls, leading to a 28-of-45 night on free throws for Portales.

The Rams were also heavy on fouls throughout, but didn't spend most of the second and fourth quarters putting the opposition in the double bonus. Pojoaque ended up shooting fewer free throws (21, making 11) than Portales made (28)

"They went to the line 45 times, and we went 21; that's a big difference," Elks coach Joey Trujillo said. "I told the kids that any time they get 45 shots from the free-throw line, you get outrebounded and you only lose by four points ... I'm not happy with the result, but I can live with it."

Blaeser scored eight of Portales' first 12 points, including a 3-pointer with 2:39 left in the second to punctuate an 8-0 burst. He spent most of his remaining minutes finding teammates, including a bounce pass between a defender's legs for a Daniel Sanchez layup in the second quarter and a pair of helpers in a 7-2 run to open the third quarter.

Sanchez and Reyes Calbert each scored 12 points for Portales, while Zach Campbell had 11 points to go with seven rebounds. Nathan Chavez scored just three points, but had an eight-board effort as part of the Rams' 34-21 advantage on the glass.

McBroom said to get the win, every Ram had to contribute on a night where the Pojoaque pressure defense forced him to shorten shifts for his starters.

"We tried to rest guys when we could," McBroom said. "We would have a lot of our second unit guys in, and they did a good job. Every kid that went in the game had something important to do, and they did it."

Nine players scored for the Elks, led by Matthew Herrera's 19 points. Herrera was responsible for much of Pojoaque's late rally, scoring 16 in the fourth on 5-of-9 shooting and three 3-pointers.

Chris Martinez and Anthony Rodriguez each had 10 for the Elks (8-4).

Both teams are in action again Saturday. The Elks face Lovington at 3:30 p.m., while Portales follows against West Las Vegas.