Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
ALBUQUERQUE — The Clovis Wildcats know they escaped Manzano with a win Tuesday night thanks to luck. But they also left knowing they created some of that luck with hard work.
Taitt Kuchta missed a contested jumper in the final seconds of overtime, but Leroy Wilson knocked a defensive rebound from Eric Sonnenberg that landed right into Brandon Romero’s hands for a point-blank shot as time expired for a 70-69 win over the Monarchs.
Romero and Jakeem Wynn, who fouled out earlier in the extra session, both scored 24 to lead the Wildcats over the hard-luck Monarchs (2-19, 0-7).
“A good win for us,” Clovis coach Scott Robinson said. “It’s a tough one, and Manzano is a better team than their record indicates. They’ve got a lot of games where they’ve lost in overtime, lost in regulation and had some leads.”
Kuchta, who handled point guard duties with Wynn out, added 13 for the Wildcats (10-13, 3-4).
“When we’re getting double figures from Jakeem, Taitt and Brandon, we feel good about our chances,” Robinson said. “They certainly carried the load, and they played well when we needed them.”
Sonnenberg scored 19 points to lead Manzano, while Dakota Powell and James Sandoval added 13 each.
Clovis hosts Santa Fe Saturday to resume District 2-6A play. Robinson said the first priority is to get rest, following a pair of Albuquerque trips in the last four days.
