Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Goddard uses 24-3 run to put Clovis away early in 63-45 win.
Clovis junior Gabby Thompson pulls up for a jumper and the basket over the Goddard defense in the first half of Tuesday night's game at Rock Staubus Gymnasium.
CLOVIS — Roswell Goddard picked a good night to get hot from the field. On the other hand, Clovis High's girls picked a bad time to struggle.
The Lady Rockets put together runs of 11 and 13 points in the first half, separated only by a 3-pointer from CHS junior Teya Morris, and cruised to a 63-45 victory on Tuesday night at Rock Staubus Gym.
Senior guard Mikaela Kolker led three players in double figures for Goddard (10-6), scoring nine of her game-high 21 points in the opening stanza. Goddard's runs turned a 2-0 deficit into a 24-5 lead when she hit her second of three 3-pointers early in the second period, and the Lady Cats (6-9) never got closer than 14 the rest of the way.
It was Goddard's first win over the Lady Cats in CHS coach Jeff Reed's nine seasons, and the early lead allowed the Lady Rockets to maintain control.
"What I like is my team's balanced," said Goddard coach Jared Neighbors. whose team finished with nine 3-pointers and 12-of-15 from the free throw line. "We get the ball to the open kid."
Mikaela Kolker hit a 3-pointer just before the half ended, a trend lately by Lady Cats opponents, to extend Goddard's lead to 35-18.
Neighbors said he normally goes about six deep, but Goddard was able to control the pace and keep players out of foul trouble. In fact, the Lady Rockets committed just six fouls all night.
Kolker's sister, Katherine, added two 3-pointers and 12 points while senior Desi Flores finished with 11.
"We shot the ball well and we moved the ball well," Neighbors said.
Reed said it's the best Goddard team he's seen since he's been the head coach, although he noted the Lady Rockets came in shooting just 29 percent from 3-point range.
He said his team's defense was lackluster.
"We've got to decide to get down and dirty," Reed said. "We did that at times tonight, and that's when we made our little runs."
The Lady Cats, who have been scoring reasonably well of late, were never able to get enough stops to mount a significant charge.
"We spotted them 16 points in the first quarter," Reed said. "After that, the rest of the game we played them even."
Morris finished with 16 points for the Lady Cats, getting nine of them in the final period. Clovis also struggled with turnovers, committing 14 of its 20 in the second half while forcing just 11 by the Lady Rockets.
Clovis plays its final non-district game on Friday when it hosts Rio Rancho Cleveland in a 6 p.m. tipoff.
