Rattlers start fast but wilt against Bobcats

The Tucumcari boys basketball team started fast against Class 3A contender Bosque but wilted because of turnovers and poor shooting during a 57-41 loss Saturday to the Bobcats at THS' basketball homecoming.

The Rattlers (5-5) jumped to an 11-2 lead in the first quarter and had the THS fans roaring.

"They came out ready to play, very excited," Bosque coach Clifton Davidson said, "and we weren't ready for the intensity and the effort that Tucumcari was putting out at the beginning of the game.

"And coach (John) Span had his guys ready, as he always does, and we just had to settle into it. We just needed to play defense and up our intensity and effort."

The Bobcats tied it by the end of the period and surged to a 27-15 lead at halftime. At one point in the second quarter, Tucumcari went about seven minutes without a field goal.

Bosque (9-2, ranked third in Class 3A by MaxPreps.com) led as much as 20 in the second half and never let that advantage dwindle to less than double digits despite a valiant comeback bid by the Rattlers.

"I can't complain about the effort," Span said.

Span did find other areas to complain about, though. The Rattlers shot just 8-of-19 from the free-throw line and shot 8-of-25 in the paint.

What particularly irritated Span was his team's 23 turnovers - many of them on passes that bounced off or through his players' hands.

Span acknowledged Bosque's long wingspan - three of its players measure 6-foot-5 - might have had his players looking out of the corners of their eyes.

"They were trying to see what was going on and catch the ball. You can't do both," Span said.

Luis Archuleta scored 15 points to lead the Rattlers.

Josiah Wilson led the Bobcats with 16 points. Four Bosque players were in double figures.

One conspicuous absence for Tucumcari was junior center Kamren Apodaca. A three-year starter, he'd scored 12 points in his previous game on Dec. 21 - a 52-51 victory against Jal at the Citizens Bank Tournament in Texico.

During Christmas break, Span said Apodaca inexplicably stopped showing up for team workouts.

"He didn't tell us he had quit. He hadn't been to practice. He hadn't talked to me or anything. We then just told him, 'Turn your stuff in. We need that uniform for another player,'" Span said.

Tucumcari travels to Cimarron on Tuesday and plays at the Lions Classic at Santa Rosa from Thursday through Saturday before starting its district play at Pecos on Jan. 23 and hosting Santa Rosa on Jan. 25.