Alamogordo hangs on to top Clovis

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With less than 12 seconds to play, the Alamogordo Tigers gave a glimpse into why they had a nine-game losing skid coming into Rock Staubus Gymnasium.

But over the last few ticks, the Tigers rode a combination of key defensive plays and missed Clovis opportunities into a 62-60 win Friday night to grab its first win of the District 4-6A season.

Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis senior David Griego looks for the shot against the defense of Alamogordo sophomore Dee Smith of Friday night’s District 4-6A game at Rock Staubus Gymnasium. Griego had three points in Clovis’ 62-60 loss to Alamogordo.

Sophomore Dee Smith led the Tigers (7-16, 1-2 district) with 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting, and Jared Session made a key steal to nearly wrap up a game that featured five ties and seven lead changes — three in the final 70 seconds.

“Our kids fought hard, they gave themselves a chance to win the game,” Clovis coach Scott Robinson said. “Just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch.”

And the Tigers almost gave Clovis enough help to steal a game in which the Wildcats trailed 11-2 early.

After Kamiron Bickham, who had 19 points, hit a pair of free throws to seemingly ice it with 12.5 seconds left, he was called for a foul on the ensuing defensive play. Bickham then was called for a technical, fouling him out and giving Clovis four free throws and the ensuing offensive possession.

Alamogordo coach Tom Shields, an Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee in his first season with the Tigers, noted it was the team’s first technical all year and said he’d never seen an ending like that in his 44 years of coaching. When asked what he was thinking when Clovis got the free throws, he said, “I didn’t have time to think; I was too busy planning things out. We put in scenarios, ‘Here’s what we do if we’re up three, up two, up one or if we’re down.’”

Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis sophomore Taitt Kuchta drives down the lane for a layup in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter of Friday night’s District 4-6A game at Rock Staubus Gymnasium. Kuchta had 10 points in Clovis’ 62-60 loss to Alamogordo.

With a chance to take the lead at the line, the Wildcats got 1-of-2 shooting each from Luke Bussen and Eli Rodriguez, who led the Wildcats with 18 points. That left the Wildcats down one with the possession pending, but Session swiped the inbounds pass and got fouled on a layup attempt.

Clovis rebounded the second free throw, and went the length of the court with 7.4 seconds left — the team had used its last time out to set up the inbounds play. A 3-point attempt by Rodriguez, and a last-ditch putback attempt by Bussen were off.

“We set up a special set that had been a good one for us,” Robinson said. “We were going to give Eli the ball and let him try to attack the basket.”

Robinson said the positives were three players in double figures — including sophomores Jakeem Wynn with 16 and Taitt Kuchta with 10 — and reaching 60 points, a score he and assistant coach Casey Pack aim for to have a chance to win games.

Fields credited the Clovis crowd for showing up and the Clovis players for their effort during a frustrating season, and said the Tigers are going down the same road.

“The intangibles have been excellent,” said Shields, who holds a 602-238 career record and Illinois state tournament appearances with four schools. “You saw the tangibles were terrible. We missed free throws, missed open shots.

“Nine in a row, I’m not used to that. But it’s OK because when you’re trying to turn around a program, turn around an entire thought process, you don’t start at the penthouse.”

While Alamogordo faces Hobbs on Tuesday, the Wildcats are on the road tonight to face Hope Christian.