Rattlers split two district games

The Ruidoso boys basketball team overcame a double-digit deficit and foul trouble during a 50-45 district victory over Tucumcari last Tuesday at the Snake Pit.

The Rattlers, needing a victory to stay alive in the regular-season district race, made too many turnovers and especially failed to convert free throws down the stretch. Tucumcari went 2-for-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter; Ruidoso went 6-for-6 - all in the last 45 seconds.

The Warriors went 11-for-14 from the foul line during the game; the Rattlers went 4-for-11.

A Rattlers victory that got away left coach John Span shaking his head. He noted the similarity to the previous district game, where the Rattlers' four-point lead in the fourth quarter evaporated against New Mexico Military Institute.

"We've just gotta learn to finish," he said. "As far as the effort, I'm proud of the effort. We played well enough to win, but we didn't get it done."

Span also noted several players' inability to corral teammates' passes late in the game, leading to turnovers.

"Late in the ballgame, we were trying to bring the ball in, and we couldn't play catch," he said.

Curtis Gonzales led Tucumcari with 18 points, and Kamren Apodaca added 13. Tucumcari fell to 5-13 and 0-2 in district play.

Ruidoso, led by Tao Barnes' 19 points, improved to 12-8 overall and 3-0 in the district.

Tucumcari grabbed a 12-6 lead early in the second quarter and surged to a 35-25 advantage late in the third quarter.

The Warriors fell into foul trouble early, and two players - seniors Ben Ferguson and Cooper Pritchett - fouled out by the fourth quarter.

Ruidoso coach Mike Trujillo said he was fortunate to emerge with a win, and he credited his players' resiliency.

"We just talked about staying poised, and I think our kids did a great job there and kept playing hard," he said. "We got ourselves back into it."

Logan Sandoval played a big role in the Warriors' comeback, making three 3-point shots in the final period and totaled 13 points. His third trey with less than three minutes left gave Ruidoso its first lead, 42-41, since the second period.

Barnes and Sandoval combined for 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 45 seconds. Sandoval's two foul shots gave the Warriors a 48-43 lead with 21 seconds left. Apodaca also fouled out with 21 seconds left, removing a potent option from Tucumcari's arsenal.

Gonzales scored a driving basket with 12 seconds left to narrow Tucumcari's gap to 48-45. But Ethan Gerthe scored on a fastbreak seconds later to ice the game.

Tucumcari 53, Dexter 47

This time, a win didn't get away from the Rattlers.

Tucumcari grabbed a 17-point lead in the first half and hung on in the second half during a 53-47 victory Friday at Dexter for the Rattlers' first district win.

Apodaca scored 21 of his game-high 24 points in the first half as the Rattlers surged to a 37-20 late in the second quarter.

"We ran our offense, boxed out well, played good defense, and everything we shot happened to go in," said assistant coach Gary Hittson, who guided the Rattlers because Span was out of town to attend a funeral.

As hot as the Rattlers were in the first half, they were cold in the second.

"My goodness, we couldn't make a basket," Hittson said of the second half. "It was like they put cellophane over the basket. And we had too many turnovers."

Gonzales scored 10 of his 20 points in the second half as Tucumcari fended off a furious comeback attempt by the Demons.

Dexter closed the gap to 44-42 late in the third quarter, but the Rattlers scored six unanswered points to start the fourth period.

Tucumcari improved to 6-14 overall and 1-2 in district play.

Both teams struggled from the free-throw line, with Tucumcari converting 5-for-12 and Dexter going 6-for-15.

Dexter fell to 7-16 overall and 1-2 in district play. Brandon Calderon led the Demons with 15 points.

Before the game, Dexter requested 22 seconds of silence in memory of THS freshman Jayden Gloms, who died in a traffic accident last month. The number 22 was Gloms' uniform number in basketball.

Bosque 71, Tucumcari 57

Bosque's fast start enabled it to earn a 71-57 non-district victory Wednesday over host Tucumcari.

The Bobcats, ranked seventh in Class 3A by MaxPreps.com, raced to a 24-16 lead in the first quarter and 42-29 at halftime.

"We didn't look bad; we actually looked really, really good," Hittson said. "At the beginning of the game, Bosque just couldn't miss."

Bosque led 54-35 after three quarters before the Rattlers mounted a small rally.

For Tucumcari, Gonzales and Apodaca combined for 31 points.

Bosque made eight 3-point shots. Cooper Hautau led the Bobcats with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Kyle Morris added 20 points.

Bosque improved to 17-7.