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  • Welcome back to The Rock

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Mar 3, 2020

    Already tired of presidential primaries and sneezing into your elbow? Need a break after carrying your Mayor Pete and Amy Klobuchar campaign buttons out to the curb? For a change of pace, a nice diversion from the news, here come the state high school boys basketball playoffs, which tip off this Saturday. Six local boys teams will begin their state championship quests, highlighted by Clovis’ first state home game in seven years. Not since 2013 has Rock Staubus Gymnasium b...

  • Buffs defend district

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Mar 3, 2020

    MELROSE — It was just a step along the way to Melrose’s ultimate goal. But it was a pretty cool step. Last Saturday night, the Melrose boys basketball team won its second straight District 6-1A championship by beating Fort Sumner 64-36 at Melrose High School. What the Buffaloes really want is to win a third consecutive state 1A title, but they were happy to successfully defend the district crown first. “I’m proud of the guys,” Melrose head coach Kevin Lackey said. “It’s alw...

  • Two down for Texico

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 29, 2020

    TEXICO — Two down, one to go. The Lady Wolverines, like any local basketball team, had three goals for their season — 1) win their district in the regular season, 2) win their postseason district tournament, 3) win a state championship. Friday at Texico Sports Arena, the Lady Wolverines achieved the second of those two goals, pulling away from Pecos in the fourth quarter to win 56-43 and capture the postseason District 7-2A crown for the second straight year. Exactly a wee...

  • Wild(cat) finish

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 29, 2020

    CLOVIS — No matter what happened Saturday night in Clovis High’s District 4-5A boys basketball championship game at Hobbs, the Wildcats’ semifinal victory over Roswell on Thursday at Rock Staubus Gymnasium was gigantic. For a couple of reasons. Of course there was the obvious — beating the Coyotes 44-43 on Josiah Lombrana’s last-second baseline jumper gave the Wildcats a chance to defend their district title. But looking ahead a bit, Clovis wants to make a run in the state 5A...

  • Clovis girls hope win secures bracket bid

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 29, 2020

    CLOVIS — Sunday should be as suspenseful as it is interesting for the Clovis girls basketball team. Will the Lady Wildcats, 12-16 after Thursday night’s 32-21 loss at Carlsbad, be deemed good enough for a state-tournament seed? Did they do enough with Tuesday night’s 48-32 home win over Roswell? The Lady ’Cats can only hope. Victories in both games probably would’ve done it. But now ... “That win (Tuesday) might have solidified us making the playoffs,” Clovis head coach Jeff R...

  • Clovis' Zamora to swim at New Mexico State

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 25, 2020

    CLOVIS - In hindsight, Bella Zamora swimming at the Division I college level seems like a given. But that wasn't always the case. Not too long ago, Zamora herself didn't even know if she would swim competitively beyond Clovis High. "And then I had sort of a breakthrough meet my junior year," she said, "and I started considering it, swimming in college." And the offers starting coming in. Then came the recruiting trips to the University of New Mexico, New Mexico State...

  • Clovis Christian girls win in 6-1A opener

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 25, 2020

    CLOVIS — For Clovis Christian’s girls basketball team, it’s been a journey. The program has grown, evolved, in recent years. So Monday’s 59-47 home victory over Grady/San Jon/House in the first round of the District 6-1A postseason tournament was a prize for the Lady Eagles, an achievement they’ll cherish. No matter how they fared in Tuesday night’s second-round game at Fort Sumner, the Eagles are proud of being able to move up on the district ladder. “That is super awesome,” Clovis Christian junior forward Lola De Groot s...

  • Clovis boys finish as second seed

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Feb 22, 2020

    CLOVIS — It was going to be a game after all. When the Clovis boys basketball team kept a double-digit lead over Carlsbad for much of Tuesday night’s contest at Clovis High’s Rock Staubus Gymnasium, it seemed the Wildcats would maintain an arm’s-length advantage the rest of the way. But Carlsbad had other ideas and stormed back to make it a two-point game in the fourth quarter. That seemed to ignite the ’Cats again and they went on a run, enabling them to pull away for a 58-...

  • Texico girls avenge defeat

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Feb 22, 2020

    TEXICO — Tough, opportunistic defense + fast-break baskets + overall scrappy play = District 7-2A regular-season champions. That was the equation for Texico’s girls basketball team this past Friday night when hosting Pecos at the Texico Sports Arena. Employing all of the above, the Lady Wolverines took command early, held a double-digit lead for most of the game, and won 45-27 to capture the district’s regular-season title and the postseason district tournament’s No. 1 seed....

  • Texico makes adjustments, tops Clayton

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Feb 18, 2020

    TEXICO — When your offense isn’t working, it’s time for Plan B. In the case of last Saturday night’s Clayton/Texico boys basketball game, Plan B for the Wolverines was good defense that shut down the Yellow Jackets while transitioning to offensive opportunities for Texico. Eventually, Plan A was back in use, as the Wolverines’ found their offensive rhythm and rolled to a 67-37 victory at Texico Sports Arena, ending their recent losing streak at three. They also improved their overall record to a solid 14-7, but earned ju...

  • Wildcats even district score

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 15, 2020

    CLOVIS — The Clovis boys basketball team couldn’t afford another District 4-5A loss, especially against Hobbs, the one district team that had already beaten the Wildcats this season. Clovis has big postseason ambitions, in the district and state playoffs, so winning Friday night’s rematch against the Eagles was one of the biggest items on the Wildcats’ to-do list for the regular season’s final stretch. And Clovis was able to cross that one off the list after playing strong fro...

  • Hounds hold on against Pioneers

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 15, 2020

    PORTALES — If you like offense, Thursday night’s Texas Woman’s/Eastern New Mexico University women’s basketball game was not for you. Offense at Greyhound Arena was at a premium, especially during a third-quarter clank-fest for both teams. But, a lot of that was due to defense, and the Greyhounds did emerge with a 50-41 victory. So, Eastern head coach Josh Prock will certainly take it. “Defense this time of year is what wins championships,” Prock said. “Defense wins. So you...

  • Collapse averted for Hounds

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Feb 15, 2020

    PORTALES— The Eastern New Mexico University men’s basketball team has had its share of disappointing games this season. Thursday night’s game, though, did not make that list. Hosting Dallas Baptist at Greyhound Arena, ENMU took the lead early, never surrendered it, and held on for a 79-72 victory. It was the Greyhounds’ seventh win this season — both overall (7-15) and in the Lone Star Conference (7-10) — as they headed into Saturday’s home game against another LSC rival, Ta...

  • Westerberg preps for Morningside after CHS

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 15, 2020

    CLOVIS — Amber Westerberg was definitely going to continue her swim career outside of Clovis. The question was where. “I was looking through a bunch of college websites for Division II and NAIA schools and I came across this one,” Amber said, pointing to her T-shirt that read ‘Morningside Mustangs,’ “and another one called Lindsey Wilson. And I ended up visiting both, as well as Adams State.” It was somewhat of a varied geographical array, with Morningside located in Sioux Cit...

  • Rivalry renewed

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 11, 2020

    CLOVIS — There was Clovis guard Bubba Jennings playing with a head injury and bloody uniform at Hobbs in 1979. Forty years later, there was a packed and loud Rock Staubus Gymnasium watching Clovis hold on to beat the Eagles by five. And there were other Clovis/Hobbs boys basketball classics before 1979 and since last year’s regular-season matchup at the Rock, including the Wildcats beating Hobbs for the 2019 District 4-5A tournament championship and Hobbs returning the fav...

  • ENMU hoops to face tough tests

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 11, 2020

    As the games become fewer they get all the more important. There are six games and less than three weeks left in the regular season for both the Eastern New Mexico University men’s and women’s basketball teams. As the Lone Star Conference tournament grows closer, the games that will help the Greyhounds get there are more crucial. Especially for the Eastern men’s team, sitting squarely atop the LSC playoff bubble with a 6-15 overall record, 6-10 LSC, and currently on a three...

  • Clovis tops Coyotes to move to 2-1 in district

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 8, 2020

    CLOVIS - In golf they would call it the front nine. In District 4-5A basketball it's the front three. Clovis High's boys basketball team wrapped up the first half of its district schedule Friday night, beating Roswell 64-49 at Rock Staubus Gymnasium. With that victory, the Wildcats had gone through the district's Carlsbad-Hobbs-Roswell sequence once, and will start it over again this Tuesday night when they begin their back three by hosting Carlsbad. The 'Cats went 2-1 in...

  • Hounds fall in frosty home opener

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Feb 8, 2020

    PORTALES - Be it ever so frosty there's no place like home. Eastern New Mexico University's baseball team played its home opener against Texas A&M International on Friday, with remnants of last Tuesday's snowstorm still evident. There were patches of snow and ice here and there outside of Greyhound Field, but Friday's late-afternoon weather, while chilly and a little breezy, was also bright and sunny to start the game. So baseball it was for the first Friday of February....

  • Luscombe plans to swim at N.M. State

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Feb 4, 2020

    XLOVIS — Spending her college years in Las Cruces, continuing her swimming career at New Mexico State University, wasn’t even on Hannah Luscombe’s radar. That was until last September, when the Clovis High senior took a recruiting trip to NMSU and started getting hooked. The following week she was back in Las Cruces for another recruiting trip. And everything about New Mexico State — from the campus, to NMSU swim coach Rick Pratt, to her potential NMSU teammates — continued...

  • Wolverines split with Santa Rosa

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Feb 4, 2020

    TEXICO — Saturday was Feb. 1, when high school basketball games get all the more important. In other words — kinda-sorta crunch time. And it was not a good start to the month for Texico’s boys basketball team, which got crunched by Santa Rosa 67-48 at Texico High School on Saturday night. Already trailing by 13 late in the first quarter and still down by 11 at the start of the second, Texico was never able to climb back into it, never able to shave the deficit to single digit...

  • Greyhound women roll through week

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Feb 1, 2020

    PORTALES — The Eastern New Mexico University women’s basketball team handled its business early Thursday night. Against Lone Star Conference rival University of Texas-Permian Basin at Greyhound Arena, ENMU jumped off to an early lead, built on it during a strong late-first-quarter-to-early-second-quarter stretch, then stayed in control during the second half and won 66-43. It was the Greyhounds’ third straight victory and came in convincing fashion. “Yeah, from start to fini...

  • One step forward, one step back for Cats

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Feb 1, 2020

    CLOVIS — This is it, the district schedule, where the games really count. And man, did the Clovis girls basketball team make it count in Tuesday night’s District 4-5A opener against Carlsbad. Though Tuesday’s game at Rock Staubus Gymnasium was tied at halftime, the Lady Wildcats went ahead early in the third quarter, then led the entire second half on their way to a 40-32 victory. The Lady ’Cats were still only 9-12 overall after Tuesday’s win, but were 1-0 in district...

  • Greyhounds outlast Falcons

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Feb 1, 2020

    PORTALES — If you hadn’t seen any of Thursday night’s game between the University of Texas-Permian Basin and the Eastern New Mexico men’s basketball teams, hadn’t even seen a score, you would’ve known how it turned out simply by walking past each team’s locker room at Greyhound Arena. If you strolled past UTPB’s locker room you would have heard Falcons head coach Josh Newman screaming at his players. Even if you came back 10 minutes later, more screaming. But if you stood ou...

  • Dawson: Every day has its purpose

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Feb 1, 2020

    John Dawson still has NBA aspirations. And playing in the NBA’s minor leagues, the G League, the NBA is just a step away. Plus it’s a pro basketball paycheck to boot, and that’s more than a lot of basketball players can say. Dawson is a 2013 Clovis High graduate and currently a guard for the Greensboro Swarm — the Charlotte Hornets’ G League affiliate — where his head coach is Joe Wolf, former University of North Carolina teammate of Michael something or other. Jordan is it? As of Saturday afternoon, though, Greensboro...

  • Dawson: Bryant news devastating

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated Jan 28, 2020

    Sunday morning, Kobe Bryant awoke to his last day on Earth. A few hours later, the Earth shook — reverberated actually — at the news that Bryant had died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna and seven others. Bryant, who played 20 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers, was a legend of not just the National Basketball Association, but of the entire sports world, of the pop culture world. The entertainment world too after winning an Oscar for ‘Dear Basketball’, a short film based on a poem he wrote when retirin...

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