Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
ALBUQUERQUE — For the third straight season, the Portales High girls ran into the same brick wall on the floor of The Pit.
Top-seeded Hope Christian got Portales for the third time in the state tournament, and all four times this year, the most recent a 55-40 Class 4A semifinal victory.
Hanna Valencia had 18 points to lead three in double figures for the Huskies (28-2), who move on to a 3:30 p.m. Friday championship against either Shiprock or Robertson.
Portales, which fell in the 4A title game to Hope in 2015 and the 4A semis in 2016, ended the season at 18-11.
“They’ve got length, they’ve got athleticism, they’ve got experience,” Fraze said of Hope Christian. “They’ve basically had the same team for three years. Over three years, they’ve lot two seniors. Over three years, we’ve lost 13.
“I’m very proud of my kids, I don’t believe anybody in the state, losing what we’ve lost, would be expected to get a game away (from a title bid).”
The Rams struggled from the field, shooting 11-of-44, but much of that was set in motion with a 2-of-14 first half when they tried a slower pace
“They score 70-plus points on everybody — good teams, bad teams,” Fraze said. “We wanted to slow it down, make it one possession at a time. We missed some easy looks — wide open layups, things like that. The slowdown in the first half wasn’t their defense, it was by design.”
Zamorye Cox scored 10 to lead Portales, which outrebounded Hope 39-38 but was on the other side of a 24-10 Huskies advantage in the paint.
Hope Christian put the game out of reach with a 20-12 third, and shot 69 percent in the second half.
