Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Tucumcari coach John Span was a bit skeptical about Socorro’s No. 1 seed in the Class 3A boys basketball tournament, but he came away more of a believer after the host Warriors stormed to an 81-48 first-round victory Saturday over the 16th-seeded Rattlers.
Socorro (21-5) raced to a 23-8 lead in the first quarter and prevailed 43-17 by halftime.
Tucumcari (8-17), turning up the intensity of its press defense, edged Socorro 21-20 in points in the third quarter, but the Warriors closed with a 15-6 fourth period.
Tucumcari senior center Andrew Henderson-Clark closed his high-school hoops career with a team-high 25 points.
Span acknowledged that little went right for his Rattlers in the first half.
“They shot the ball well, and we didn’t,” he said. “And we also turned the ball over. We weren’t as aggressive in the first half as we were in the second half. Why, I don’t know.”
Tucumcari’s free-throw shooting woes also persisted Saturday. Span said his team missed the front end of three one-and-one free throws during the first half. In the game, the Rattlers went 14-for-33 from the foul line.
Span said his team’s 1-2-1-1 full-court press began to net turnovers in the third quarter. But it wasn’t enough after Socorro was spotted such a big lead.
“If you race somebody and you’re the same speed and you get a bad start, it’s over,” he said.
Span said he came away impressed with the Warriors, especially senior guard Duda Jackson, who averages nearly 25 points a game.
“I didn’t know they were deserving of that No. 1 seed. But after watching them against Robertson and they way they played last night, they’re pretty good,” he said. “I think they have a chance to make it all the way to the finals and winning it all.”
Socorro next hosts eighth-seeded Crownpoint (22-7) in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
The Rattlers endured a mostly frustrating season but earned some redemption near the end by unexpectedly winning its district tournament.
“We were losing games we shouldn’t have been losing because of missing free throws, not taking care of the ball, missing open shots,” Span said. “But we did accomplish some goals. We won the district tournament, which allowed us to be in the state tournament, which was another goal we had.”
Tucumcari loses three seniors on this year’s squad — Henderson-Clark and guards Dominick Jasper and Nathan Griego.
“I’d like to wish them the best,” Span said. “I appreciate their hard work, dedication and commitment to our program. There was a lot of potential there.”