Rattlers' season closes

Hampered by 23 turnovers, the Tucumcari boys basketball team's season came to an end Thursday with a 47-43 loss at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell in the semifinal of the Class 3A, District 4 tournament.

Tucumcari coach John Span said fatigue was a factor in the loss.

"I think the three games in four days hurt us," he said. "It caught us. You could see we were tired from the turnovers."

Starter Robbie Hartmann also didn't make the trip to NMMI because of the flu, costing the Rattlers some muscle inside.

Jesus Ramos scored 17 points to lead the Rattlers. TJ Lampkin added eight points.

The Rattlers briefly led in the fourth quarter, but the Colts went up by five points with 1:30 left. NMMI went into a stall offense, forcing Tucumcari to foul. The Colts made enough of their free throws to keep the Rattlers at bay.

Tucumcari finished at 5-20 overall, though it won three of those games in February.

"We were better than our record indicated, but it is what it is," Span said. "We lost quite a few close games, including by two to a tough Logan team. We didn't shoot the ball well much of the season, and it's hard to get going if you don't put the ball in the hole.

"But I'm proud of the kids. None of them quit working hard, and none of them gave up."

Tucumcari loses six seniors: Matthew Lopez, Josh Chavez, Jaxon Arguello, Casey Carter, David Lowry and Gerardo Villa-Vargas. The Rattlers will return three starters for next season - Ramos, Hartmann and Lampkin.

Tucumcari 71, Tularosa 56

Playing Tularosa for a second time in 24 hours, the Rattlers scored 17 unanswered points in the first quarter to secure a 71-56 victory Feb. 26 over host Tularosa in the district tournament.

Tucumcari shot 60 percent from the field - including from 3-point range - while taking a 39-23 lead at halftime. For the game, the Rattlers torched the Wildcats for nine 3-point shots.

"When you make shots, it makes things a little easier," Span said. "The kids realized there ain't no tomorrow (if they lose), and they stepped up."

Ramos scored 20 points to lead the Rattlers' balanced attack. Arguello added 15 points, Hartmann 12 and Chavez 10.

It wasn't just offense where Tucumcari excelled, Span said.

"We played defense great," he said. "We got a lot of steals and baskets in transition. Tularosa's coach kept calling time out, just trying to stop the bleeding."

Tularosa fell to 14-11 overall.

Tucumcari 50, Tularosa 47

Tucumcari came from behind in the fourth quarter and held on to defeat district foe Tularosa 50-47 on Feb. 25 in the Rattlers' final game of the season at the Snake Pit that had been rescheduled from Saturday because of icy roads.

Ramos led the Rattlers with 19 points, while Lampkin added 12.

Both coaches lamented their teams' free-throw shooting. Due to the tiebreaker system in district play, Tucumcari could have hosted the district-tournament opener if it had beaten Tularosa by 10. The Rattlers missed their chance by going 4-of-13 at the foul line in the last three minutes. Tucumcari finished 18-of-30 for the game.

"If we made more free throws, they (Tularosa) have to drive all the way back and come back again," Span said.

Tularosa coach Sergio Castanon had his own problems at the foul line. The Wildcats made just 12 of 28 free throws.

"We're not going to make excuses," he said. "We've got to make free throws. Sometimes they fall; sometimes they don't."

Chavez helped seal the game with a driving basket to give his team a 46-45 lead with less than two minutes left. Lampkin then scored on a driving layup with 1:10 left for a 48-45 advantage.

Tucumcari managed to boost the lead to 50-45 with less than 40 seconds left. Tularosa scored on a layup to make it 50-47 with 34 seconds left.

The Rattlers continued to struggle at the free-throw line late, but second-stringer Andrew Henderson-Clark grabbed a key offensive rebound with less than 10 seconds left. Tularosa's 3-point attempt at the buzzer fell well off the mark.

Tucumcari won despite two starters fouling out and a third, Arguello, being benched after drawing a technical foul in the first half.

"The official told me after one kid got a foul on him that Jaxon did this" - Span clapped his hands vigorously - "and clapped in his face. They called taunting on that one.

"He called it, and I have a rule: You're done (after a technical). Be careful with your emotions; the official might take it wrong or thinks you're showing him up. I want our kids to conduct themselves on the floor. My job is to work the officials; I can work them for all of us."