Cleveland makes quick work of Wildcats

If the 16-0 Cleveland run to start the game wasn’t enough indication the Clovis Wildcats might be a little overmatched, the indisputable evidence came later in the first quarter when the Storm’s bench players hit NBA 3s and scored on backdoor lobs.

The Storm, playing in their first game since winning the Albuquerque Metro Championship last week, never left a doubt with a double-figure lead for the last 28 minutes of a 76-45 win over Clovis on Friday night at Rock Staubus Gymnasium.

Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis guard Luke Bussen defends Cleveland’s Marcus Hill in the second half of Friday’s game at Rock Staubus Gymnasium. Bussen had nine points in Clovis’ 76-45 loss.

Marcus Gibson scored 13 points off the bench to lead a balanced effort for the Storm (13-4), who led by as many as 34 in winning their fifth straight game.

Cleveland coach Brian Smith said after back-to-back tournaments, including the MaxPreps Tournament in California to open 2016, it was nice to focus on just one game the entire week and take some time to regroup.

“We got back from the California tournament ... then played the Metro, with four games in five nights,” Smith said. “We gave them Monday off, and then we had three days of practice in a row. We haven’t really had that opportunity much, and we were able to fine-tune some things in our offense.”

By the time the Storm went to their bench with 2:28 left in the opening period, they enjoyed a 19-point lead on a 3-point play from Marcus Williams, who scored 11 on the night. Cleveland pushed it to a 25-point lead when Justin Davis found Gibson for a lob, then hit a trey on the next possession when the Clovis defense essentially dared him to shoot from 25 feet out.

“To me, that’s the best team in 6A,” Clovis coach Scott Robinson said. “They’re big, they have length, they’re athletic and that goes into their bench. When they go to the bench, they bring in more big, long, athletic guys who can play.”

The Storm spent the final three quarters just holding off Clovis, and only pressed on one defensive series all night.

“Clovis plays hard,” Smith said, “and we told our guys they’re capable of making a run. We wanted to make sure we stopped those runs.”

Cleveland, without the services of 6-foot-7 center Henry Hattis due to a Stanford football recruiting trip, had 11 players score with seven posting at least seven points.

Clovis got 11 points each from Eli Rodriguez and Cory Knight.

The Storm face Manzano on Monday, then have three days off before district play begins. The Wildcats host Atrisco Heritage (9-5) to complete their weekend back-to-back.

“We’re going to have to be better defensively (against Atrisco),” Robinson said. “We still have too many breakdowns.”