Manzano tops Clovis boys, 80-73

CLOVIS — Clovis’ boys basketball team has seen this movie before and hasn’t liked the ending yet.

The coaching staff comes up with a strong plot, the players make it an interesting narrative and the elements are there for a strong conclusion. So far, it has turned out the same.

The saga continued Tuesday for the ’Cats, who lost 80-73 to Manzano at Rock Staubus Gymnasium and dropped to 0-7 in District 2-6A play. Clovis had plenty of chances, another old plot twist, but couldn’t quite get it done against another district opponent.

“It seemed like throughout the game, going back to the first quarter, it was layups in and out, shots that were right there at the rim,” said Clovis head coach Scott Robinson, whose team fell to 8-14 overall. “You know what? They’re not falling for us and they’re falling for our opponents right now. If we start getting some shots to fall, I think obviously, that changes everything.”

Tuesday’s story arc was similar to the last time Clovis played Manzano on Jan. 20. The Monarchs went up big early, Clovis rallied to make a game of it, but ultimately, Manzano hung on to win its fourth straight and improve to 13-8 overall, 5-2 in district.

“Yeah, we kind of kept making some runs where we’d get up 10 or 12 and then they would make a five- or six-point run and be right back in the game,” Manzano head coach Dominick Romero said. “Those kids kept fighting and coming back on us every time. We’d like to close out the game a little bit better, to keep ’em at a distance a little bit better, but we were able to finish it off. So, tough road win for sure.”

Manzano came out strong, winning the opening tip and got a three-pointer from Tyler Allen on its first possession.

By late in the first quarter, Manzano already had a 19-5 lead. It was 25-13 early in the second. Clovis was getting the looks, but the rim seemed particularly unfriendly, sending shots away, spinning them out, while on the other end, most of Manzano’s attempts were going down. It resulted in another double-digit hole for Clovis, just three nights after losing to Eldorado by 24.

But, back came the Wildcats with a 14-6 run that began with a Brandon Romero basket after a Clovis timeout and ended with a hoop from Josiah Lombrana. And when the run was complete, the ’Cats were only down 31-27.

They even got the ball back with a chance to draw within two, or even one point, but a Jakeem Wynn shot wouldn’t fall, and an opportunistic Manzano team scored quickly with a basket from Teyon Watson. Ro Morgan made it a four-point difference again late in the half by hitting a driving shot, but just before the halftime buzzer on the other end, Allen got one of those friendly bounces that Clovis mostly didn’t get, and put Manzano up 35-29 at halftime.

The second half was continually about Clovis teasing a comeback and Manzano repeatedly denying it. The Monarchs built a 41-32 lead; the Wildcats made it 41-35 on a Brandon Romero trey. Manzano went up 48-39; Clovis pulled to within 48-43 on two free throws apiece from Lombrana and Romero. Manzano constructed a 70-60 lead; Clovis drew to within 72-67 on a 7-2 run that included a three-point play by Romero, two foul shots from Wynn and a follow-up basket from David Rosemond.

The Wildcats, though, got no closer than that. Manzano closed it out and won by seven.

“We’ve talked about trying to peak at the right time,” Coach Romero said. “Today we slipped up and showed some weaknesses and showed a few mistakes that we’ve still got to clean up. But yeah, we’re happy as heck right now with a four-game winning streak, and we want to play better basketball here in the next couple weeks.”

So does Clovis. The Wildcats are of course unhappy with an 0-7 district mark, but they have only one direction to go — forward.

“We’ll be on the road (Saturday) up in Santa Fe,” Robinson said. “Another good team we were right there with (in the first matchup). It came down to being able to make some plays. So, we’re looking forward to getting up there and getting after ’em.”

Even Manzano’s coach thinks Clovis is capable of greater heights in district play.

“This district is really, really strong and anybody can beat anybody in this district,” Coach Romero said. “I really believe that they look tough and I think they’re going to still get some wins here. And they’re going to be a force in the district tournament as well.”