Cats pull out late win in season opener

Staff report

SANTA FE — Clovis led only twice in Tuesday’s season opener against Santa Fe High. Fortunately, one of them came at just the right time.

Sophomore guard Jakeem Wynn drove for a go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left and the Wildcats, coming off a 5-21 season, escaped the New Mexico capital city with a 58-57 victory over the Demons.

“We didn’t lead much of it,” second-year CHS coach Scott Robinson said. “But we found a way at the end to get it done.”

The Cats trailed by 11 points in the second quarter, but survived a big stanza by the Demons (0-2) to trail by just five points at halftime. They took their first lead early in the final period, then rallied back after the fifth 3-pointer of the night for senior guard Scott Gonzales gave the Demons a 56-52 lead with just under two minutes left.

Wynn beat his man off the dribble for the game-winner.

“We ran an iso (Isolation play) for him,” said Robinson, whose team faces Rio Rancho at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the ENMU Kickoff at Greyhound Arena in Portales. “He took his man off the dribble and was able to get to the front of the rim.

“We couldn’t put them away and they couldn’t put us away. It was a dogfight all the way.”

Wynn finished with 15 points for the Cats, including the team’s only 3-pointer. Meantime, junior guard Taitt Kuchta added 10 points, and four others chipped in at least seven.

The 5-foot-8 Gonzales poured in 15 of his game-high 23 points, including four 3-pointers, during the second quarter for the Demons. They had six trifectas at halftime.

“I made the adjustment to go to more man-to-man (defense late in the second quarter),” Robinson said. “We put Micah (Gray, junior guard) on Gonzales and he slowed him down. He didn’t get the wide-open looks he got (earlier).”

Gray, a CHS running back who missed several games in football after sustaining a neck injury at Frenship in midseason, took on the challenge. Robinson said Gray has been playing well to this point.

“He’s actually been good for us,” Robinson said. “He played pretty good tonight, especially on the defensive end.”

The Cats shot just 15-of-26 from the line, but it was enough to help them make up the difference in 3-pointers. Meantime, the Demons finished the night 8-of-17 on free throws.

Robinson is hoping the win can be a building block for his team.

“It gives us a little boost going into the Rio Rancho game,” he said.