Lady Rattlers playing for second seed

The Tucumcari Lady Rattlers will need to topple the top-ranked Lady Wolverines Friday at Texico to secure the second seed in the upcoming District 5-3A tournament.

"We will not win another game unless we learn to play as a team," said Gary Hittson, Lady Rattlers head coach.

The Rattlers (23-2, 3-2) dropped their second game of the season Saturday to the Lady Yellowjackets (14-9, 2-3) at Clayton.

Hittson said the 66-58 loss would give Clayton a tiebreaker over Tucumcari. The teams split their two district games, with Tucumcari winning 63-59 earlier in the season.

If Clayton beats Santa Rosa (6-17, 0-5) Friday and Tucumcari loses to Texico (21-3, 5-0), both the Rattlers and Yellowjackets would end regular season play 3-3 in district. Clayton would then take the second seed via point-differential tiebreaker.

"The team who played Saturday, was not the same team who beat Santa Rosa by more than 35 points two days prior at the Snake Pit," Hittson said.

Hittson said the girls were flat-footed on defense; this led to foul trouble for several of the players. He said the team has to come together as a unit to correct the issues.

The Lady Rattlers routed the Santa Rosa Lady Lions 66-29 on Feb. 8 at the Snake Pit.

The win, was just six day after the Lady Rattlers first loss of the season, a 59-55 loss to Texico at Tucumcari.

"The girls have what it takes to win; they have shown that all season long," Hittson said.

Game time: 5:30 p.m. at Texico

Rattlers to face Wolverines Friday

The Tucumcari Rattlers are on the hunt for their first District 5-3A win as they take on the top ranked Wolverines Friday at Texico.

"This is the heart of the season, we knew it was only going to get tougher in district play," said John Span, Rattlers head coach.

Span said the Wolverines (24-0, 5-0) are a talented team who has earned their spot as one of the best 3A teams in the state.

"We will have to do a better job of defending inside the paint and matching their physical play," Span said. "Ball control will be crucial, unforced turnovers can lead to scoring opportunities against a team like Texico."

The Rattlers (9-15, 0-5) lost a close game (53-50) Saturday to the Yellowjackets (12-12, 2-3) at Clayton.

Tucumcari lost 58-47 on Feb. 8 to the Santa Rosa Lions at the Snake Pit.

Rattlers Jose Flores Duran (10 points) and Robbie Hartmann (18 points) led the Rattlers offense. Hartmann had three 3-pointers in the second half.

"Hartmann showed a lot of heart out there," Span said. "He's always had that kind of drive."

Span said Duran and several of the Rattlers had open shots that were on the mark but just wouldn't fall.

"The only thing you can do when the shot doesn't fall is box out and fight for the rebound," Span said.

Game time: 7 p.m. at Texico

Upcoming games

The Logan Longhorns (11-10, 2-3) will play at 7 p.m. Thursday against Dora for their homecoming.

The Lady Longhorns (17-5, 5-0) will play at 5:30 p.m. Thursday against Dora for their homecoming.

The San Jon Coyotes (4-15, 0-9) will play at 7 p.m. Thursday against Grady at San Jon.

The San Jon Lady Coyotes (1-16, 0-9) will play at 5:30 p.m. Thursday against Grady at San Jon.