Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
CLOVIS — The Clovis High boys basketball team has not only eclipsed its win total from either of the previous two seasons, the Wildcats are also above .500 as the year winds down.
The Cats improved to 6-5 for the season and advanced to Friday’s 7:30 p.m. finals of the Griego & Sons Classic at Rock Staubus Gym against El Paso Cathedral with a 54-45 victory over Highland on Thursday at Rock Staubus Gym. Cathedral turned back Carlsbad 39-34 in the other semifinal.
“From where we’ve been, it feels pretty good,” Cats coach Scott Robinson, whose teams had suffered through 5-22 and 3-22 marks in his first two campaigns at the helm.
Senior guard Taitt Kuchta drained four 3-pointers and led a balanced attack for CHS (6-5) with 16 points. Junior guard Jakeem Wynn and junior center Jonathan Williams each had 12 points.
“It’s good for our kids,” Robinson said of reaching the finals. “It’s exciting for us to play for our own tournament championship.”
Both teams struggled to score most of the game. The Cats led 18-17 at halftime and never relinquished the lead after that, though they had to outscore the Hornets 24-21 in the final period to nail down the victory.
“It was a hard-fought game,” said Robinson, a 1988 CHS graduate who came back to the program as an assistant coach in 2001. “We earned this victory, but we talked about not being satisfied.”
Highland (3-5) got 27 points from junior guard Taylor Turner, but no one else reached double figures for the Hornets, who dropped into Friday’s third-place matchup against Carlsbad.
