Texico boys win Farwell Tournament

FARWELL — After a couple of blowout victories in the Farwell Tournament, Texico’s boys basketball team was able to play a steady game against a tough Fort Sumner team and held on to win a much more competitive game, 53-47, to win the Farwell Tournament on Saturday night.

It was, in fact, Texico’s most competitive game, its biggest challenge since Tuesday night’s home win over Gateway Christian.

The Wolverines improved to 7-0 and dealt Fort Sumner its first loss (5-1) by gaining some double-digit separation in the fourth quarter and then withstanding a few Fort Sumner treys dropping late.

Skyler Davis began the man on the spot Fort Sumner put extra men on Nathan Phipps in the post and Dalton Thatcher on the perimeter.

“They had a strategy — they triple-teamed big Nathan inside, so they kind of contained him,” Texico head coach Ty Thatcher said. “And they double-teamed Dalton, and left Skyler open. ... And he made them pay for it.”

Did he ever. Davis scorched the nets for a game-high 23 points, leading Texico to the title.

“There were some (other) timely buckets,” Coach Thatcher said. “Our posts made some timely buckets.”

Aside from adjusting on offense by feeding Davis more, the Wolves had to adjust defensively, switching from their more comfortable 1-3-1 zone to man coverage, especially when guarding Brant West.

“We always have to keep somebody close to West,” Coach Thatcher said, “because he’s their team leader. ... They feed off him.”

The player most often tasked with guarding West was Luke Phipps, who did a solid job defensively, according to Coach Thatcher. West finished with nine points.

Jude Segura paced Fort Sumner with 13 points, followwed by Noah Maxwell’s 10 points.

Nathan Phipps added 10 points to the Texico cause. Dalton Thatcher finished with nine points.

Texico returns to action next Saturday, visiting 2A West Las Vegas. Junior varsity action tips off at 2 p.m., with the varsity game to follow.