Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The Tucumcari girls basketball team turned a close game into a blowout in the second half en route to a 71-39 victory Saturday at Bosque.
The Lady Rattlers (13-5) nursed a 31-24 lead in the first half. They outscored the Bobcats 22-9 in the third period to increase the advantage to 53-33, then out-tallied their foes 18-6 in the final quarter.
“We jumped on them in the first (quarter) and stopped playing defense in the second,” Tucumcari coach Gary Hittson said. “We need to play a full game and stop looking at the scoreboard.”
Jasmine Jones scored 26 points to lead the Lady Rattlers, with Ashley Shipley adding 13 and Reece Goldston 11. Hittson said everyone who suited up scored for Tucumcari during the game.
Hittson said he was pleased with his team’s free-throw shooting. The Lady Rattlers went 14-for-17 from the line, including 10-for-10 from Jones.
“Turnovers are still a problem; we can’t keep turning the ball over or it’s going to come back and bite us,” Hittson added.
Bosque fell to 7-6.
Tucumcari 68, Santa Rosa 35
Tucumcari held the advantage of inside muscle against Santa Rosa and used it as Jones scored 30 points in a 68-35 win on the road Jan. 21.
Shipley added 25 points for the Lady Rattlers, who held a 35-17 lead at intermission and 63-29 after three quarters.
“We started off very sloppy, missed four layups and turned the ball over a lot,” Hittson said. “The second quarter, we tried a new little wrinkle that we have been working on; it turned the game.”
Hittson wouldn’t elaborate on the “wrinkle,” other than to say it was “something new” for upcoming district play.
Santa Rosa fell to 8-11.