Rams seek first win over Cats in 21 years

Deputy editor

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The Clovis Wildcats and Portales Rams enter their Friday matchup on opposite trajectories. The Rams would like to keep it that way, and grab a rare win in the annual battle.

The 7 p.m. tipoff represents a prime chance for Portales (3-1) to grab its first on-court win in the series since 1994. Back then, the Rams were led by Nate Erdmann, who played two seasons at the University of Oklahoma and fell just short of making an NBA roster in a 20-year pro career that spanned five countries.

Since then, the only other Ram win in the series came via forfeit in 2010, when the Wildcats used a player who was a few days later discovered to be ineligible.

Portales has won three straight since running into a season-opening buzzsaw at Roswell, which beat the Rams 73-44 and is now 6-0 with an average winning margin of 30 points.

“I think we’re improving every day and every game,” third-year Portales coach Rickie McBroom said. “I feel good about that. Our kids are working hard, they’re being coachable. But we’ve got a long way to go.”

Clovis, meanwhile, went in with injury concerns before winning its season opener at Santa Fe High. Those concerns have only grown during a five-game losing streak, with four players out — Sebastian Roanhaus for the season (ACL), Rheal Kuchta (quadricep) and Roland Chavez (miniscus) indefinitely and Tucker Dobbs (broken ankle) for three weeks — and senior post David Griego only seeing limited action due to a hip injury.

The positive? Clovis (1-5) has had the week off dropping three games in the Joe Armijo Classic last week at Albuquerque Academy.

“We’ve had more time to prepare for this game than any point this season,” second-year Clovis coach Scott Robinson said. “Hopefully, that will help us.”

The Rams, who have some injury problems of their own — point guard Junior Ramirez isn’t expected back until at least February following shoulder surgery from a football injury — are treating themselves as the underdogs in the 6A-4A matchup, no matter the records.

“We just want to go in like we prepare for anybody,” McBroom said. “That rivalry goes back a long, long time. They are a bigger school, they’ve got more kids to choose from.

“We’re excited about it. We like playing bigger schools.”

Robinson said the challenge will be defending senior Bronte Staugaard, NMPreps.com’s 4A boys player of the year last season.

“As he goes, they go,” Robinson said. “We’ve got to do a good job on him all night.”

McBroom, who enjoys the game because it usually offers one of the bigger crowds the Rams see every year, doesn’t expect an easy night.

“I really do think they’re better than that record,” McBroom said. “They’ve played some awful good people. They’re up-tempo, they like to create chaos. We’re going to have to keep our heads about us.”

GAMEDAY

Clovis (1-5) at Portales (3-1)

7 p.m. today

Coaches: Clovis, Scott Robinson, 2nd season. Portales, Rickie McBroom, 3rd season.

Last time out: Clovis dropped its fifth-straight game Saturday, losing 53-34 to Los Lunas in Saturday’s seventh-place game of the Joe Armijo Classic at Albuquerque Academy. The Rams are coming off a 64-34 win on Tuesday over Tucumcari and have a three-game winning streak.

Last meeting: 2014, the Wildcats beat the Rams 71-63 at Clovis.

— Compiled by Kevin Wilson