Rattlers fall short against East Mountain

The Tucumcari boys basketball team still was searching for its elusive first victory of the season after a 61-57 district loss Saturday to East Mountain.

The Rattlers (0-10) fell behind 36-21 in the first half, and their second-half rally fell short.

“Turnovers and free throw hurt us,” Tucumcari coach John Span said. “We missed more free throws than we lost by.”

Tucumcari went 11-for-18 from the foul line.

Andrew Henderson-Clark led the Rattlers with 21 points, and Dominick Jasper added 13.

Beckett Dunleavy led East Mountain (2-4) with 18 points. The Timberwolves had four players score into double figures.

Santa Rosa 59, Tucumcari 45

The Lions scored 40 points in the second half to turn a close game into a 59-45 victory for Santa Rosa on April 20.

The Rattlers hurt their own cause by going only 5-for-12 from the free throw line.

“Turnovers and free throws hurt us in this game,” Span said.

Tucumcari was led by Jasper and Henderson-Clark, who each scored 14 points. Nathan Griego added 12 points.

For Santa Rosa (7-1), Richardo Chavez and Jaron Sanchez each scored 14 points.