Rattlers surprise Raton

The Tucumcari boys basketball team surprised visiting state-ranked Raton 61-49 on Jan. 7, but Rattlers coach John Span wasn't quite willing to call it an upset.

At the same time, Span said he saw an opportunity for his squad against a Tigers team ranked seventh in the Class 3A coaches poll and second in MaxPreps.com with a 9-1 record going to the game at the Snake Pit. Tucumcari was 3-8.

"They haven't played the teams that we've played," he said. "I'm not bad-mouthing them, because their record is what it is. But I told our kids, 'Here's our chance to beat a team that's up there at the top right now. They're 9-1. Let's go. We've got nothing to lose.'"

Jesus Ramos, using his slice-and-dice style, scored 25 points to lead the Rattlers. Two of Tucumcari's beefier players, Andrew Henderson-Clark and Robbie Hartmann, also did some heavy lifting inside with 17 and 13 points respectively.

Raton, meanwhile, suffered all sorts of problems. The Tigers saw two players foul out, repeatedly missed shots near the basket, committed turnovers and went a woeful 4-of-15 in free throws. Tucumcari went 24-of-39 from the foul line.

Raton coach Jose Archuleta give props to Tucumcari for its "grit and guts" and Span's coaching.

"We came in probably expecting to play a physical ballgame like we're used to, but the flow of the game, the officiating, took us out of our game early, and I don't think we ever got into a rhythm with our big (players) being in foul trouble.

"You try to coach the kids to adjust, and they didn't adjust well. Mentally, we've got some young kids who feel pressure sometimes when the game is close. We'll take our medicine with this trip and look forward to moving on with the rest of the season."

Matt Quartieri led the Tigers with 15 points.

Both teams started slowly in the first quarter, with it ending in a 10-10 tie.

The Rattlers asserted themselves in the second quarter and took a double-digit lead with consecutive fastbreak baskets by Henderson-Clark and Nathaniel Mardo.

Tucumcari's defense also frustrated Raton's shooters, especially near the hoop.

"Missed opportunities is how we'll look on this game," Archuleta said. "You can't miss those types of baskets, those two- to three-foot jumpers."

"What we tried to do was keep the ball (defensively) in front of us," Span said of his team's defensive approach. "When we didn't, they created back-side, wide-open shots."

Raton in the second half rallied to within one point several times but Tucumcari kept answering with a basket.

Still, Span remained dissatisfied with his team's play down the stretch, especially with turnovers.

"We're still learning," he said. "We've got some people that are going to have to learn to take care of the ball.

"There were times I thought our effort was super," Span added. "We've just got to be consistent with it. There were times we'd go through the motions; we're not good enough to go through the motions with anybody."

Tucumcari's most crucial stretch came with three minutes left with a one-point lead. Henderson-Clark finished a three-point play after being fouled on an offensive rebound, Ramos scored on a steal, and Henderson-Clark tallied during a fastbreak for a 57-49 Rattlers advantage with 1:50 left.

Raton missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw and a 3-point attempt on consecutive possessions.

Ramos was fouled with 1:06 remaining and made both free throws for a 59-49 lead. Getting the ball back after another failed scoring attempt by Raton, Ramos milked the clock and scored on a driving move with 15 seconds left to ice the game.

Tucumcari 73, Santa Fe Prep 52

Tucumcari won its second straight, winning on the road Saturday over Santa Fe Prep 73-52.

The Rattlers (5-8) sealed a close game by outscoring the Blue Griffins 28-15 in the fourth quarter.

Span said defense proved to be a key to the victory.

"We pressured them, pushed the ball up the floor and got a few easy baskets," he said. "We're starting to play pretty good ball."

Ramos led the Rattlers' balanced attack with 20 points. Hartmann added 15 points, Ty Lampkin 14 and Lujan 10.

Santa Fe Prep fell to 4-4.