Lady Rams fall to defending Texas 3A champs

PORTALES - When they get to the New Mexico portion of their schedule early next month, Portales High's girls should feel pretty well-tested.

They faced defending Texas Class 3A champion Brownfield on Monday and played tough against the Lady Cubs, who returned all five starters. In the end, though, Brownfield posted a 46-39 win at the Ram Athletic Center.

"They're good," Lady Rams coach Wade Fraze said. "We played well tonight, just not well enough (to win)."

PHS won't face a New Mexico opponent until hosting Roswell High on Jan. 4.

Brownfield (7-3) opened a 10-2 lead early. Portales chipped away and eventually took a 30-27 lead late in the third period.

The Lady Cubs closed the quarter on a 7-0 run, though, and kept PHS at bay the rest of the way.

"You have to be good to win a state tournament in Texas," Fraze said. "They're athletic. We were probably giving up about 30 or 40 pounds in the post."

Gabi Fields led Brownfield with 21 points, while Deja Johnson had 11. For the Lady Rams (6-3), senior guard Taris Rippee scored 19 points and senior guard Riley Shillings added four 3-pointers for 12.

Rippee shared team rebound honors with four each. Senior guard Teagan Faust had three assists, and Faust and Paden each notched a pair of steals.

Portales returns to action on Monday in the eight-team Wildcat Classic at Littlefield, facing Springlake-Earth in an 8:30 a.m. (MST) quarterfinal tilt.

Steers top Rams again - Portales has also had its problems against Texas schools lately. The Rams dropped their second decision in 10 days to Farwell 52-31 after losing at Lubbock Christian 67-51 on Saturday.

Farwell (11-2), which beat PHS 56-44 in the finals of its own tournament on Dec. 11, raced to a 22-6 first-quarter lead in this one as sophomore guard Corey Stancell had two 3-pointers and 10 of his game-high 16 points in the period.

"It was a rough first half," Rams coach Randy McBroom said of his team's 31-11 halftime deficit. "As a young team, we're trying to learn more about grit and toughness. I thought we showed some of that in the second half, so that's definitely something to build on."

Senior Dustan Sides added 11 points for the Steers. Meantime, junior post Greydon Rigsby topped the Rams with nine points.

"I was happy with Alex Garcia - he led our team with eight rebounds," McBroom said. "He's showing some of that toughness, which is what you expect out of a senior guard."

On Saturday, Lubbock Christian (8-4) put four players in double digits in turning back the Rams.

Junior Asher Fleming led the Eagles with 22 points, followed by juniors Trew Farris with 16 and Riley Schroeder with 12 and senior Kelby Castleman with 11. Lubbock Christian was 21-of-26 from the foul line, including 9-of-9 for Fleming, while the Rams hit 10-of-15.

Rigsby netted 13 points and junior Davian Lucero scored 11 for Portales.

"We don't have a team with a lot of experience, but we're gaining experience and learning," McBroom said. "As we grow, we'll get better. We're telling our kids, 'You just have to continue to trust the process."

The Rams begin play in a 10-team Wildcat Classic field on Monday at Littlefield, facing Tulia in their opener at 10 a.m. (MST).