Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Clovis girls advance to 2-6A semifinals

CLOVIS — The only question after Clovis' girls basketball team nipped Manzano 49-46 in overtime of Wednesday's District 2-6A quarterfinal might be whether or not the players will have anything left for Friday.

Well, the third-seeded Lady Wildcats do have today off and can sleep on Friday's bus ride to Albuquerque, where they'll face second-seeded La Cueva in the district semis. It certainly took a lot to beat Manzano in Wednesday's game at Rock Staubus Gymnasium, but the Lady Wildcats did it, by rallying from a six-point fourth-quarter deficit and squeaking it out in OT.

A big win with a lot riding on it. Lots to recover from between Wednesday and Friday nights.

"I really don't know what to say," Clovis girls basketball head coach Jeff Reed said, smiling and shaking his head. ""We've been in close games like that all year and I don't think we've gotten over the top and won one of them all year. So, it was nice; we were finally in a close game and we figured out a way to win."

That win gave senior guard Sydni Hill even more reason to celebrate on the night of her 18th birthday. Back when most of us were glued to the Al Gore vs. George W. Bush presidential race, Hill was busy being a baby, but she's now one of Clovis' elder stateswomen, scoring a team-high 15 points Wednesday, including a driving shot with two and a half minutes left in overtime and a pair of free throws with 4.1 seconds to go.

"It's always great to get a win," Hill said, after chocolate icing had been smudged on her face by one of the moms. "Plus, when it's your birthday it makes it that much better."

Neither team was going to have reason to be ashamed after this one that included fast-paced buckets, lead changes galore. It was Clovis, though, that emerged victorious with clutch play in the fourth quarter and extra period.

Manzano led 34-30 heading into the final period of regulation, and roughly three minutes in, the Lady Monarchs went up 39-33. Big trouble for Clovis, or so it appeared then.

But, Lady Wildcats guard Brittni Chavez buried a trey to make it 39-36, On Clovis' next possession, Hill had a chance to tie with a three, but the top-of-the-key shot was off. The Lady Wildcats next attempt was a Teya Morris shot that rolled off an unfriendly rim with about four minutes to go in regulation.

Finally with 2:40 left, Morris stuck a trey from the right side, and the game was tied at 39.

At the two-minute mark, Clovis grabbed its first lead since early in the third quarter when Hayley Kidd drove for a layup that lifted her team ahead 41-39.

With a little over a minute to play in the fourth, Manzano's Mya Williams spun around for a layup that tied the game. Neither team could score the go-ahead bucket in the final minute and the contest sailed on into overtime.

"The more intense it gets, the more exciting it gets," Hill said. "And the energy of the crowd just makes everything exciting. Plus, that was the seniors' last home game ever, which gave us a little bit more motivation."

The overtime period began as the fourth had ended, with both teams struggling to hit the go-ahead basket. Finally with two and a half minutes left in the OT, Hill went slashing to the hoop and flipped up a shot that rattled home to give Clovis a 43-41 lead.

With 2:04 left, Morris hit one of two free throws to make it a three-point game, but half a minute later, Manzano's Alicia Cordova drove for a fast-break layup and was fouled to boot. She calmly sank the free throw, tying the game at 44, with 1:24 left in overtime.

On the other end, though, Morris had a quick answer, driving toward the hoop from the paint, then swooping around and sneaking along the right baseline to bank one in, giving Clovis a 46-44 edge.

Clovis soon regained possession off a Manzano turnover, and with 40.9 seconds left, Mikyla Harkley knocked down 1-of-2 free throws to hand the Lady Wildcats a three-point lead. But with less than 20 seconds remaining, Manzano's Melina Jones scored, pulling the Lady Monarchs within 47-46.

Hill was intentionally sent to the line with just 4.1 ticks on the clock, and cucumber-cool, she drilled both free throws, giving Clovis a 49-46 advantage. Clovis' trapping defense took it from there, not allowing Manzano to come anywhere close to attempting a game-tying three.

Game over. Next stop, La Cueva.

 
 
Rendered 03/05/2024 21:48