Lady Rattlers' repeat rally

For the second straight year, Tucumcari looked dead in the water against Thoreau in the title game of the Lady Rattlers Invitational girls basketball tournament.

For the second straight year, the Lady Rattlers rallied to earn the first-place trophy.

Trailing by 10 points at intermission after miserable shooting against the Lady Hawks, the Lady Rattlers stepped up their intensity to start the third quarter and scored 13 unanswered points to completely reverse their odds.

Another 9-2 run in the fourth quarter essentially sealed the 41-37 victory Saturday.

THS senior Caylee Benavidez scored a team-high 14 points and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Tucumcari players also making the all-tournament team were sophomore Cambree Benavidez (12 points against Thoreau), senior July Lafferty, junior Kyla Lopez and eighth-grader Maaja Anaya.

The game was reminiscent of last year's Lady Rattler Invite title game, where Tucumcari rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 44-43 over Thoreau.

The chance of a THS victory seemed distant in the first half. The Lady Rattlers shot just 21% from the field (6-for-28) and trailed 23-13 at intermission.

Meanwhile, the Lady Hawks were getting good looks at the basket and drained three 3-pointers.

THS coach Patrick Benavidez gave his team a halftime pep talk and made adjustments for the second half.

"We just talked about being more aggressive and looking for each other (on offense)," he said, "then just playing more aggressive defense. We need to make sure we were on the ball more and pressure them to make a decision."

The 13-point run happened in this sequence:

- In the first seconds of the third quarter, Lafferty stole the ball from a Thoreau guard near the halfcourt line and sprinted for a layup.

- Anaya scored on a 10-foot jumper inside the paint.

- Caylee Benavidez dribbled inside, then dished to her younger sister Cambree for a layup.

- Lopez scored on a short jumper.

- Cambree Benavidez scored another inside bucket after a dish from her older sister.

- Lafferty drove into the paint and scored on a short floater.

- Cambree Benavidez made one of two free throws after being fouled inside.

In four minutes, THS erased the 10-point deficit, surged to a 26-23 lead and sent the Lady Rattler fanbase into a frenzy.

"Whenever you get the crowd back into it, it just builds up into better defense," coach Benavidez said. "The other team gets kind of shaky."

Thoreau coach Joe Hernandez took a timeout after Tucumcari's run.

"They made some adjustments in the second half, and we didn't counter it," he said. "They pressured the ball a bit more, and we couldn't handle it. We're very young, and we just got to keep learning from what happens so we get better."

Thoreau rallied a bit to retake a 31-28 lead at the end of the period.

Tucumcari countered with a 9-2 run to start the fourth quarter for a 37-33 lead. Caylee Benavidez scored six points during the rally, and Anaya swooshed a 3-pointer.

Lopez's inside bucket with 1:50 left gave Tucumcari its final margin of victory.

Coach Benavidez praised Lafferty and particularly Lopez for their defensive efforts, estimating they collectively forced 12 turnovers against Thoreau.

"Kyla really had a good weekend," he said. "I was really proud of her. Defensively, she was really aggressive and and not picking up as many fouls."

Tucumcari 48, Pine Hill 33

Two significant scoring runs essentially sealed a 48-33 victory for the Lady Rattlers over Pine Hill in the semifinals Friday of the Lady Rattler Invite.

Tucumcari stormed to a 15-1 lead to start the game, and a 9-1 run late in the third quarter repelled a potential Warriors rally.

Caylee Benavides scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Lady Rattlers. Kyla Lopez ripped down a team-high 12 rebounds and added 14 points. July Lafferty added 11 points.

Assistant coach Jasmine Jones coached the Lady Rattlers after head coach Patrick Benavidez was absent due to the flareup of a lingering illness. She said her team kept its mental focus well.

"We reacted very well to how they were playing. They didn't panic when we were in certain situations. They played calm, clean, Rattler basketball like me and coach Pat have taught them.

"In the locker room, I told them, 'Let's put on a show.' They definitely put on a show tonight, and every single one of them contributed equally."

Pine Hill coach Patricia Chavez grumbled about the officiating. But she also acknowledged her team missed a lot of shots under the basket.

"I would say at least 12 layups. So if you count those layups, that's 24 points, and we're in that game," she said.

Pine Hill twice rallied to within eight points, including early in the third quarter. But the 9-1 response by Tucumcari - including a 3-pointer from Lopez - pushed its margin back to nearly 20 points.

Tucumcari 63, Hatch Valley 10

The Lady Rattlers blasted Hatch Valley 63-10 in the opener Thursday of the Tucumcari tournament.

Fueled by its defense, Tucumcari stormed to a 24-0 lead before the Bears scored their first basket in the second quarter.

The referees imposed a mercy-rule running clock late in the period once the margin reached 35 points. THS coach Patrick Benavidez also began emptying his bench at that time.

"It was good to get a mix of girls in there just to kind of let them play with the with the starters a little bit," he said.

The Lady Rattlers led 41-5 at halftime and 57-6 after three quarters.

After a disappointing finish at the Citizens Bank tournament before Christmas, the Lady Rattlers coach said he focused on making his players be more patient before shots.

Cambree Benavidez led the Lady Rattlers with 20 points. July Lafferty added 15 points and Kyla Lopez 11.

Coach Benavidez also praised eighth-grade starter Anaya for her hustle and defense. "She's starting to find her spot," he said.

Hatch Valley fell to 1-6.