Rattlers get No. 2 seed in district tourney

A dominating second half gave the Tucumcari boys basketball team a 66-45 victory Saturday over Dexter and secured the No. 2 seed for the Rattlers in this week's 3A-4 district tournament.

Tucumcari, which improved to 8-15 overall, tied with New Mexico Military Institute with a 3-3 mark in district play but earned the second-seed due to head-to-head point spread. The Rattlers will play the winner of the NMMI-Dexter matchup at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The winner of that game will go to top-seeded Ruidoso (14-9, 5-1) for the district tournament title this Saturday.

Tucumcari on Saturday led only 25-24 at halftime but scored 11 unanswered points in the third quarter. The Demons failed to score a field goal during the period as the Rattlers stormed to a 42-27 lead, then went on a 9-2 run in the fourth quarter to grab a 20-point advantage.

"The second half made all the difference," Tucumcari coach John Span said. "We were playing with good energy, we made good choices with the ball and we weren't turning the ball over like we'd been doing. And we hit a few free throws."

Span said it was the best performance by his team since a 65-60 overtime win over Estancia at the Santa Rosa Tournament in mid-January.

Tucumcari freshman center Kamren Apodaca led with 24 points, and senior point guard Curtis Gonzales added 21.

Span also singled out praise for freshman guard Daymion Urioste, who has stepped up into more of the ball-handling role to take defensive pressure off Gonzales.

"We have to have more than two people doing the scoring, and Daymion has stepped up in the last three games and scored double digits for us," he said. "He's helping us offensively, defensively ... he's really picked it up."

Span said the postseason "is my favorite time of year," partly because it serves as a clean slate from any regular season struggles.

"I think our kids are ready. Tonight was a good one to get us going and get us ready for the district (tournament)," he said.

Tucumcari 46, NMMI 41

The Rattlers earned a home district win last Tuesday not because of free throws, but in spite of them.

Tucumcari made just 10-of-25 shots from the foul line against New Mexico Military Institute, but Gonzales made five in a row late in the fourth quarter to help preserve a 46-41 victory.

The Colts (7-11, 2-3) weren't a lot better than the Rattlers from the line, going 13-for-24.

The game's turning point came late in the third quarter. After trailing 31-26, the Rattlers reeled off 13 unanswered points to seize a 39-31 lead with 2:29 left.

Then mistakes started piling up on Tucumcari.

"We got a big lead where we were up by eight, and we just started turning the ball over," Span said. "We didn't have intensity. We've just got to learn how to finish."

NMMI twice rallied to within two points with less than a minute left. But the Rattlers made just enough free throws to preserve the win.

Tucumcari switched up its ball-handling duties, letting Urioste shoulder more of the load. Urioste responded with a game-high 18 points, including three 3-pointers.

"I put the ball in Daymion's hands a little bit because I knew they'll double Curtis," Span said. "I didn't know he scored 18. That's what we needed from him."

Tucumcari honored its seniors and their parents on Senior Night that included Gonzales and Tyrus Jones.

Ruidoso 58, Tucumcari 49

The host Warriors pulled away gradually from the Rattlers during a 58-49 district win Friday.

Ruidoso led 31-28 at halftime, then outscored Tucumcari 28-21 in the second half to salt away the victory.

"With three minutes left in the game, we were down only four points," Span said. "We were right there. We just didn't finish. They made the plays, and we didn't."

Gonzales scored 24 points to led Tucumcari, and Apodaca added 13. The Rattlers were hurt by a 4-for-11 performance from the free-throw line.