Wildcats three-peat

Wildcats’ Dominique Easterlin shoots over a Rio Rancho defender during Wednesday’s championship game of the Milk Cow Classic. Easterlin scored nine points in the win. (CNJ staff photo: Mike Linn)

Tigg Bunton scored 30 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the Clovis Wildcats pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 72-59 win in Wednesday’s championship game of the Milk Cow Classic at Rock Staubus Gym.

It was the third-straight Milk Cow Classic title for Clovis (11-0) and the second straight year the Wildcats beat Rio Rancho (7-5) in the title game.

“We’re pretty matched up in speed, the difference is in the height,” Rio Rancho coach Joe Cantou said of the two teams. “We didn’t have an answer.”

Bunton is 6-foot-8 and junior Dominique Easterlin is 6-foot-4. Rio Rancho’s tallest player is 6-4 Brandon Thurgood, and he went out late in the third quarter with an injured wrist.

Easterlin added nine points and six boards for the Cats, while point guard Tizrick Phillips scored 13 points and had four rebounds.

After a few shots from the perimeter, Clovis constantly passed to the paint.

“We got away from out strength, which is going inside against a shorter team like Rio Rancho,” Isler said. “In the second half we did that and we had a lot of success.”

The Rams stayed in the game behind outside shooting. Finding open men from the outside using screens and picks, Rio Rancho hit 10 3-pointers, including five by senior Chris Williams, who finished with 22 points.

“Chris Williams is an effective player and we had to make him work for his shots,” Clovis coach J.D. Isler said.

The two teams went back and fourth in the second half, but in the final six minutes Bunton scored 10 points as Clovis went on a 14-7 run to finish the game. Bunton was camped near the rim as he took feeds from the guards. He either made the shot or made free throws.

“I thought we played pretty well for three and a half quarters and they took over,” Cantou said.

Clovis built a 24-11 lead early in the second quarter as Rio Rancho shots rimmed in and out. However, the Rams got hot and went on a 16-4 run.

After a 3-pointer by Williams brought the Rams within 28-24, Bunton was called for a foul and subsequent technical foul. Rio Rancho made three of four subsequent free throws to come within a point, but never managed to take the lead.