Portales boys outlast Moriarty

PORTALES - Despite a bumpy start, the Portales boys basketball team rallied midway through the second quarter to defeat Moriarty Tuesday night, 64-43.

The Rams (18-3, 4-1) were once again led by Jeremie Karngbaye with 20 points. The Portales big man scored eight of the team's14 points in the first quarter.

Jase Wallace had himself a night from down town, hitting a game-high five 3-pointers on his way to 19 points. The Pintos (11-13, 2-4) were led by Matt Soto with 17 points.

"I think it started to change in the second quarter when we changed defenses," Portales coach Rickie McBroom said. "That allowed us to take away a lot of (Moriarty's) penetration, especially in the second half, which is something they live off."

The Ram defense was allowing a lot of penetration in the first quarter, allowing the Pintos to get either an easy layup or a kickout for a wide open shot. Once Portales fixed that issue, it was smooth sailing from there.

As McBroom has said all season long, Portales' defense is really what drives the offense. That was never more apparent than on Tuesday, where the Rams struggled to score easily in the first quarter, but things started to flow after the defensive switch.

"We are working hard on reversing the ball and feeding the post ad that looked better," said McBroom. "I told the kids 'I don't care, we just need to get the ball in the paint,' whether through penetration or passing. One way or another, then we will be happy."

Portales will resume its schedule Friday with a road game against Ruidoso. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.