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Clovis comeback falls short at Manzano

CLOVIS — After their last Albuquerque trip produced a second half they'd love to forget, the Clovis Wildcats came close to staging a comeback they'd want to remember.

Down 10 at the half, the visiting Wildcats gave Manzano a scare by taking the fourth-quarter lead. But behind a 20-point night from Eric Sonnenberg, the Manzano Monarchs had just enough to topple the Wildcats 55-52 Saturday night.

The 6-foot-7 Sonnenberg earned points 18 through 20 with 40 seconds left on a 3-point play when the Monarchs caught Clovis in a mismatch on a cut. He was fouled and hit the ensuing free throw to end the scoring.

"Being 6-7, he's a tough guard down low," Clovis coach Scott Robinson said. "They did a good job of getting him the ball when they needed to."

Sonnenberg tied for game-high honors with Clovis senior guard Jakeem Wynn, but Wynn very nearly notched 23 and an overtime session in the closing seconds. However, his 3-pointer rimmed out.

Given the circumstances, Robinson thought Wynn put up a pretty good shot.

"With no timeouts, six seconds, going the length of the floor, it's as good as anything we'd get," Robinson said. "Either he'd have to penetrate and kick out or pull up himself."

Jacob Moon added nine points and Bryce Cabeldue eight for the Wildcats, who return home to face Santa Fe Tuesday night. While not a win, Saturday was a far cry from a disastrous 70-21 loss at Eldorado Tuesday night that featured a 27-0 Eagle third quarter.

"It was a great effort coming back and getting the lead. The kids continue to play hard. We got off to a slow start and had to play uphill. We took the lead, gave ourselves a chance to win. We just didn't make enough plays at the end to win."

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