Rattlers win three straight

A three-game winning streak is just the momentum builder the Tucumcari Rattlers basketball team needs as they prepare for district play Thursday against Clayton at the Snake Pit.

"We needed the wins," said John Span, Rattlers head coach. "There are still some areas that we need to address including turnovers."

Span said the Rattlers will have to take care of the ball and do a better job of boxing out for the rebound against the Clayton Yellowjackets.

The Yellowjackets games will begin with junior varsity matches at 4 p.m. at the Snake Pit.

Span said turnovers resulted in two of the Rattlers past three games being closer than they should have been. He said turnovers against strong teams can keep points off the boards for the Rattlers while giving the opponent another chance to score.

Span said another area issue that needs to be addressed by the Rattlers is free throws.

During the three-game weekend, the Rattlers were 39 of 72 from the foul line for 54 percent.

Span said in close games, free throws can win or lose the game. He said several of the missed free throws were the front side of one and one foul shots. If made, there was a potential for a second foul shot that could have added to the score.

The Rattlers won their past three games by more than 15 points. Span said the team has begun to play with confidence.

During the three-game weekend rush, the Rattlers had several players score double digits.

During Saturday's 69-39 homecoming win against the Bosque Bobcats (1-17) at the Snake Pit, the Rattlers were led by Zedric Henderson Greene, 18 points, Billy Sandoval, 13 points, Timothy Reid, 11 points, and Saul Ramos, 10 points.

Span said the 65-44 win against the Longhorns (6-10) on Jan. 20 at Logan was a closer match for the Rattlers.

"We played hard and tried to contend with the Rattlers' shooters," said Randy Robertson, Longhorns head coach.

Robertson said he knew the Rattlers were going to be a tough team to contend against. He said the loss was a hard one, but it will help the team to develop as they move towards district play Saturday against Mountainair.

Against the Longhorns, Greene led the Rattlers offense with 20 points followed by Jaxon Arguello, 15 points, Joshua Lopez, 13 points, and Ramos, 10 points.

Ramos and Jose Duran Flores both scored 17 points to lead the Rattlers to a 67-50 edging of the Dexter Demons (11-6) on Jan. 19 at the Snake Pit.

Greene scored 15 points against the Demons, giving him a three-game total of 53 points.

The Rattlers next game will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Snake Pit.

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The Tucumcari Lady Rattlers routed the Bosque Lady Bobcats 71-37 Saturday in a homecoming victory at the Snake Pit.

"We need to keep playing at this level of intensity," said Kaycee Lease, Lady Rattlers point guard.

During Saturday's game, the Lady Rattlers made 10 three-point baskets, five of which were scored by Maribel Lopez, who lead the offense with 17 points. Lady Rattlers Ashley Shipley scored 14 points (one 3-point), Kalani French, 12 points, (two 3-point) and Alyssa Martinez, 10 points (two 3-point).

Saturday's thumping of the Lady Bobcats (8-8) is exactly what the Lady Rattlers (14-4) needed following their four-point loss to Logan the night before, said Gary Hittson, Lady Rattlers head coach.

"The girls wanted to come out with a lot of energy," Hittson said. "They did not want to let the loss to Logan hang over their heads."

Hittson said the Lady Rattlers will work on several items during this week's practice to prepare for Thursday's game against the Lady Yellowjackets (5-9) at the Snake Pit.

One area that the team needs to work on is free throw shots, said Alyssa Martinez, Lady Rattlers point guard.

Martinez said the missed free throw shots during Friday's loss to Logan could have changed the outcome of the game.

The Lady Rattlers were nine of 17 from the foul line with one of those missed free throws being the front end of a one and one foul shot.

"We need to do a better job of making our free throws," Martinez said. "We practice every week on our free throws, too much during the week to miss so many during a game."

One area of shooting that the Lady Rattlers are not having difficulty in is 3-point baskets.

On Friday, the Lady Rattlers lost 64-60 to the Lady Longhorns (15-2), a game that Tucumcari made 11 three-point baskets.

"We knew all week that the Lady Rattlers were going to come out shooting," said Rhyan Daugherty, Longhorns head coach.

Daugherty said the Lady Longhorns had concentrated so much on preparing for a stout Lady Rattlers team that the preparation for Saturday's game at Clayton would be limited to an early morning walk through. He said the win will help the Lady Longhorns as they prepare for district play to begin Saturday against Mountainair.

The Lady Rattlers made 8 three-point baskets during Thursday's 66-35 win over the Lady Dexter Demons (9-8) at the Snake Pit. This brings the Lady Rattlers three-game, three-point basket total to 29.

The Lady Rattlers will play the Clayton Lady Yellowjackets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Snake Pit.