Shooting slumps doom Rattlers

Two shooting slumps proved decisive for the Rattlers during a 57-50 loss to Texico in Tucumcari's home opener Dec. 6 at the Snake Pit.

The Rattlers failed to score a field goal during the entire second quarter, allowing the Wolverines (4-1) to take a 12-point lead at halftime. Tucumcari scored only four points during the period, all on free throws.

In the fourth period, Tucumcari failed to score a basket for nearly five minutes after Rattlers freshman center Kamren Apodaca rallied his team to within three points, scoring nine of his team-high 18 points early in the quarter.

The Wolverines went 8-for-10 from the free-throw line during the final period to protect their lead.

Tucumcari coach John Span said his team missed a few opportunities in transition, failed to corral several rebounds and often struggled with its passes against Texico's defense.

"They were putting pressure on and pushing us out on the wing further than we want to be," Span said. "But we'll work on that; there's drills where we can catch the ball where we want to catch it."

Tucumcari showed promise at times, but also the inconsistency that comes with inexperience.

"Like I've said, there's times we're going to have three freshmen out on the floor," Span said. "They're learning. If I can get them to be a little more aggressive and stop going through the motions, then we're going to be all right."

Jahvon Askew led Texico with 26 points, including four 3-pointers. But Wolverines coach Craig Cook often became frustrated with his squad.

"We're kind of in a rough phase right now," he said. "We're turning the ball over too much. We're not getting the offensive looks that we want to run. Lots of turnovers, but it's the beginning of the season. We're hoping to correct those things.

"But they persevered and found a way to get a win."

Cook also credited Tucumcari for stymieing his players at times.

"Coach Span got those guys up to play, and they're buying in and playing hard," he said. "And they forced a lot of those turnovers. They applied good pressure and created some bad shots on our end. We got tired and made some bad mistakes."

The Rattlers still were down by double digits early in the fourth quarter when Apodaca caught fire. His inside bucket with 5:13 left cut Texico's lead to 45-42.

"He's been doing a good job finishing," Span said. "He's been trying to work on his inside moves, and hopefully he'll continue to work on that and get better."

But Tucumcari's shooting went cold for nearly five minutes after that. Rattlers point guard Curtis Gonzales scored seven of his 16 points in the game's final 18 seconds by driving straight to the hoop for layups.

That irked Cook.

"When you have expectations we have on defense ..." Cook said, then trailed off.

"He's a good player, but we can't allow that," he finally said. "That's what's frustrating me."

The Tucumcari home opener also was a public unveiling of a new, inflatable entrance tunnel for the school's indoor sports teams. The tunnel was purchased by the Tucumcari Rattler Diamondback Booster Club.

Postponed

A non-district game set for Friday against Bosque was postponed to illness within the Bobcats squad. It was rescheduled to Feb. 8.