Cats, Lady Cats survive

If nothing else, Clovis High's boys showed they could win a slugfest on Friday night.

Plagued by inconsistent shooting, not to mention 23 turnovers, the Wildcats gutted one out against Roswell High, winning their District 4-5A matchup 53-47 at Rock Staubus Gym.

Senior center Marvin Cox scored 21 points and may well have had a triple-double with rebounds and blocked shots. What shots he didn't block, he often changed.

"We put ourselves in a hole early, but we found a way to win," Cox said. "That's what it takes sometimes if you want to win a district championship."

Cox was the only player in double digits for the Cats (16-7, 2-1 district), but junior Jayden Cox scored seven of his nine points and senior forward Champ Gooden got all six of his in the final stanza to help the team pull it out.

"Champ came in and did a good job in the second half," CHS boys coach Josh Mattox said. "And Jayden hit some big shots in the fourth quarter."

Both teams struggled to score, especially early. After four minutes, each side had five turnovers and the Coyotes (13-10, 2-1) managed to work their way to a 4-0 lead.

The Cats led 15-11 with under three minutes left in the half, but junior Jacob Palomino's shot from the paint just before time expired made it 18-18.

"I don't think we played well at all," Mattox said. "As bad as we played in the first half, when we were tied, I thought we were in a good position."

Senior guard Steven McCaskill scored six points in the first two minutes of the second half, and Roswell High led 28-21 at one point. But the Coyotes tallied only two more points the rest of the quarter, and the Cats grabbed a 33-30 advantage heading into the final stanza after senior guard Manny Gutierrez hit a pair of free throws and then found sophomore forward Max Roche for a basket.

Clovis built a seven-point lead two minutes into the final stanza, but Roswell High came back to tie it twice. Jayden Cox then hit a go-ahead 3-pointer and junior forward J.J. Saiz converted a feed from Gooden for a five-point lead with 2 ½ minutes left.

The Coyotes used their quickness and aggressiveness to get after the Cats defensively, and it seemed to keep Clovis out of rhythm.

"I think our defense won it for us," Marvin Cox said. "Our offense wasn't going for us in the first half, but we got stops on defense when we needed them."

McCaskill led Roswell High with 18 points, but went just 5-of-11 from the foul line – including 1-of-6 in the third frame. Junior guard Jaylon Cloud added 10 points.

Clovis plays two more games at home this week – Tuesday against Carlsbad and Friday against Hobbs – before ending the regular campaign on Feb. 23 at Roswell High.

Clovis 55, Roswell High 51 (girls) – After losing their first two district games at home, the Lady Cats led wire to wire at Roswell High, but had to hang on down the stretch.

"Every time we'd build up a lead, we'd let them come back on us," Lady Cats coach Jeff Reed said. "We just didn't make layups and easy shots, and then we'd give them wide-open 3s.

"We could've put them away a lot earlier."

Clovis (18-5, 1-2) built a 44-34 lead early in the final stanza before the Lady Coyotes closed it to two late. Roswell High (11-11, 1-2) stayed in the game in large part with the help of 13-for-17 free throw shooting.

Senior guard Zarai Lewis led the Lady Cats with 19 points, while senior post Kailyn Jefferson chipped in 14. For Roswell High, sophomore Adamaris Vasquez scored 20 points and junior guard Alayna Tarin added 10, including two of the team's four 3-pointers.

"I knew it was going to be tough," Reed said. "I told the girls we were going to have to come out and take it from them."

Clovis visits Carlsbad on Tuesday and Hobbs on Friday before finishing regular-season play on Feb. 23 against the Lady Coyotes at The Rock.