Lady Rattlers take lead in district

The Tucumcari girls basketball team vaulted into first place in the District 4 standings with victories last week over Ruidoso and Dexter.

Last Tuesday, Tucumcari's press defense and a balanced scoring attack led to a solid 60-34 district victory over a somewhat depleted Ruidoso squad at the Snake Pit.

The Lady Rattlers' press forced a bunch of turnovers and held the Lady Warriors to just one field goal in the first quarter. That helped give Tucumcari a 16-2 lead, one they wouldn't relinquish.

Kyla Lopez and Alexus Lafferty each scored 15 points to lead Tucumcari, which improved to 13-6 overall and 2-0 in district play. Caylee Benavidez and July Lafferty added 10 points apiece.

Ruidoso, led by Savannah Mendez's 12 points, fell to 8-14 overall and 2-1 in the district.

Tucumcari's key first quarter was led by Haisley Huffman, primarily a defensive specialist who scored six points to give her team a double-digit lead.

"Haisley really came out and made some big shots to start the game," Tucumcari coach Patrick Benavidez said. "We'd been waiting for that. She's always good defensively, but sometimes she'll spurt in offense. She really got the scoring going for us."

Meanwhile, Tucumcari's full-court press wreaked havoc on the Lady Warriors in the first period.

"We had the press-breaker set up; you just have to execute it," Ruidoso coach Troy Schmidt said. "But we got a little anxious on our passes, got a little anxious in pushing the ball up. You have to have patience in order to break it, and that was the difference in the game."

Schmidt acknowledged his team wasn't at full strength. The team's leading scorer, senior point guard Gabriela Portillo, was sidelined with a back injury suffered during a previous district game against Dexter. He said she was expected to be back in the lineup for the Lady Warriors' next game.

"That's unfortunate," coach Benavidez said of Portillo's injury. "We were looking forward to playing them at full strength at home. Hopefully, she'll recover."

Tucumcari's offense shifted into neutral during parts of the second and third quarters due to foul trouble, giving the Lady Warriors more opportunities from the foul line.

"We talked about it a lot in the locker room, that we have to keep our mind-set and make sure when the refs are blowing the whistles like that to not reach in," he said. "That just neutralizes our game and keeps the other team in the game. We did a good job overcoming that."

A 12-4 run by the Lady Rattlers late in the third period pushed their led past the 20-point mark, where it stayed.

Tucumcari 66, Dexter 22

Despite foul trouble in the first half, the Lady Rattlers surged to a 21-point lead by halftime and cruised to a 66-22 district win Friday at Dexter.

Tucumcari, ranked sixth in Class 3A by MaxPreps.com, improved to 15-6 overall and 3-0 in the district, taking a one-game lead in the standings.

Dexter fell to 8-14, 1-2.

Eighth-grader Cambree Benavidez led the Lady Rattlers with 16 points, many on fastbreak opportunities.

"She runs the floor well and is fast, and it really helps us offensively," coach Benavidez said.

Her sophomore sister, Caylee Benavidez, added 14 points and 11 assists, and July Lafferty totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Tucumcari starters Alexus Lafferty and Huffman sat on the bench in the second quarter due to foul trouble. That didn't slow the Lady Rattlers much; they went on an 18-2 run during the first and second periods to take a 25-5 lead.

Alexus Lafferty, back on the floor in the third quarter, scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Tucumcari also had two scoring runs of 11-0 in the second half.

"We are playing great defensively," coach Benavidez said. "We are stepping up and playing together. I am proud of all of them and their level of play."

Before the game, the Dexter squad presented flowers to the Lady Rattlers and helped lead a prayer in remembrance of THS freshman Jayden Gloms, who died in a traffic accident last month.

Tucumcari 66, Bosque 12

The Lady Rattlers swamped an overmatched Bosque team 66-12 in a non-district matchup Wednesday at the Snake Pit.

Tucumcari led 23-3 after one quarter and 44-7 at halftime. The Lady Rattlers also held the Lady Bobcats scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Alexus Lafferty scored 19 points to lead Tucumcari, and Lopez added 14.

"The girls did a good job working on offense and our press in the first quarter," coach Benavidez said. "I was able to get some different lineups in the game to get some much-needed court time for some of the players that usually play more quarters in JV, which is important when we get to the postseason.

"The girls really moved the ball well and passed wonderfully. We had a total of 18 assists and 27 steals."

Bosque fell to 1-21.