Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
PPORTALES — In a game that was nip-and-tuck from start to finish, it came down to a late free throw.
Junior guard Anders Nelson made 1-of-2 charity tosses in the closing seconds, and Portales High missed a shot at the buzzer as Texico claimed a 58-57 win on Tuesday night at the Ram Athletic Center.
Texico led by a point at the end of the first and third quarters, and the game was tied 31-31 at halftime. Neither side was able to build a lead of more than four points.
Rams coach Rickie McBroom said the telling difference in the game was rebounding.
“They beat us on the boards,” he said. “We had trouble with their size.
“We played hard and battled. I thought both teams played pretty well, to be honest with you.”
Senior guard Luke Phipps and freshman guard Jahvon Askew scored 14 points each for the Wolverines (7-3). They combined for seven of Texico’s nine 3-point baskets, including four for Askew.
Senior guard Kellan Hightower led all scorers with 21 points, including three 3s, for the Rams (5-6). Junior forward Josiah Tellez added 17 points, while senior guard Rico Diaz had 13 for Portales.
PHS girls 44, Roswell High 33 (Tuesday) — At Roswell, the Lady Rams rode a fast start to victory, outscoring the Lady Coyotes 20-7 in the opening stanza.
“We were very good the first quarter,” PHS girls coach Wade Fraze said, “and we didn’t do much after that.”
Roswell High (6-10) outscored PHS 15-8 in the third period to get within six, but the Lady Coyotes didn’t make a field goal in the final eight minutes. They closed to 36-32 on two free throws early in the final stanza, but managed only one more point the rest of the way.
Sophomore guards Teagan Faust and Taris Rippee scored 13 and 11 points, respectively, for Portales (8-3), while junior post Kenzie Davis delivered six of her eight points in the opening stanza. The Lady Rams made three 3-pointers in the game — Faust, Rippee and Davis — and all of them came in the first-quarter blitz.
Sophomore Kylyie Paden also added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds for PHS, which dominated the glass 37-24. That allowed the Lady Rams to overcome a season-high 25 turnovers.
“And it wasn’t against pressure,” Fraze said. “I hope we got that all out of our system.”
Faust, Davis and sophomore Riley Shillings each grabbed seven rebounds. Rippee led the team with eight steals, while Shillings posted four assists.
Senior Makenzie Tarin scored 15 points to lead the Lady Coyotes.
