THS girls win Lady Lion Classic

The Lady Rattlers couldn't ask for a better way to start their season.

The Tucumcari girls basketball team rampaged through the Lady Lion Classic at Santa Rosa, including a convincing 58-35 victory over the host team Saturday in the title game.

Alexus Lafferty, named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, led Tucumcari with 14 points. Sisters Cambree and Caylee Benavidez each added 13 points, and July Lafferty scored 10 points.

Kyla Lopez, July Lafferty and Caylee Benavidez also were named to the all-tournament team.

Tucumcari coach Patrick Benavidez credited much of the victory Saturday to Haisley Huffman and July Lafferty putting the defensive clamps on Santa Rosa star player Daelyn Pacheco.

"We had a good game plan, and the girls executed it really well," he said. "We pretty much shut down their top player. It really rattled them.

"And we were able to put some points on the board; we had four players in double figures and another with eight points."

Santa Rosa (2-1) was ranked sixth in the Class 2A preseason coaches poll.

The Lady Rattlers (3-0) led 13-2 after one quarter, 29-15 and halftime and 48-19 after three quarters.

Tucumcari also went 16-for-20 from the free-throw line.

Coach Benavidez also credited Cambree Benavidez, Alexis Ramirez and Kaylee Brown for providing quality minutes off the bench.

"That really helped to give our starters a break. We were able to stay fresh; that made a big difference, too," he said.

Tucumcari 53, Fort Sumner 42

The Lady Rattlers used a full-court press to force turnovers and make easy baskets for a 22-6 first-quarter lead en route to a 53-42 Lady Lion Classic semifinal victory Friday over the defending Class 1A champion Vixens.

Fort Sumner's starting senior center, Olivia Lucero, also fell into early foul trouble and barely played in the second half.

The Vixens, ranked No. 1 in the Class 1A preseason coaches poll, answered back with several scoring runs, but Tucumcari maintained its lead at no fewer than seven points the rest of the way.

Coach Benavidez said pressing the Vixens early was part of the game plan.

"I knew with their guards, they weren't going to be as good as they were last year," he said.

He said he pulled his team out of the press during the first half when Caylee Benavidez was slowed by a sore ankle.

"And we got a little bit winded; it's early the season," he said. "But I liked what I saw. We knew they would use (Lucero) to try to break the press. They did a few times, but we also jumped the (passing) lanes."

Tucumcari led 32-20 at intermission and 44-30 after three quarters.

Alexus Lafferty led the Lady Rattlers with 20 points. July Lafferty, Kyla Lopez and Cambree Benavidez each scored eight points.

Jordan Hisel led the Vixens with 11 points - most of them on three straight 3-pointers in the third quarter.

Tucumcari 68, McCurdy 16

Tucumcari raced to a 27-0 lead in the first quarter against an overwhelmed McCurdy squad during the season opener Thursday in the first round of the Santa Rosa tourney.

The Lady Rattlers led 43-6 at halftime and 59-14 after three periods.

The Bobcats are coming off a 21-loss season a year ago.

"They were really young - a lot like we were two years ago," coach Benavidez said, referring to Tucumcari's 1-10 team in 2020-2021.

"We rotated a lot of kids into the game, and they did well," he added.

Caylee Benavidez led the Lady Rattlers with 18 points, and Alexus Lafferty added 16.

Tucumcari junior center Kirksey Smith will be out for about 10 weeks after undergoing tendon surgery in her foot. She suffered the injury during the summer and played with it during volleyball season. Benavidez expressed hope Smith would return to action by the state tournament.

"It's her health first," he said. "It would hurt more when she had to make cuts and change positions in basketball."