Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Tigers top district rival Buffaloes 58-44 in 1A girls title game
ALBUQUERQUE — Eight is enough for the Elida Tigers. For now, at least.
Lacy Ferguson scored 22 points to lead three in double figures, and Elida pulled away in the second quarter to claim a 58-44 win over Melrose for their eighth-consecutive small-school basketball championship Friday morning at The Pit.
With the win, Elida (24-7) tied Kirtland Central (1990-1997) for most consecutive championships. The Tigers started their streak in 2011 as a Class B school, and have won the last four in Class 1A with each of the last two coming over their District 4-1A rivals.
Ferguson went 5-of-9 from the field and 10-of-13 from the line, and also led the Tigers with seven rebounds. Alyssa Bargas added 15 points and five assists and Kasyn Creighton posted 12 points and six rebounds to lead a 30-10 points in the paint advantage.
Brette DeVaney scored 13 points, while freshman Hailey Martin had eight points and a game-high 12 boards for Melrose (23-8).
Elida staked out a 14-9 lead after the first quarter, and soon rode a pressing defense to a 17-point halftime lead.
The Buffaloes cut it to eight with three minutes left thanks to a flurry of 3-pointers, but Ferguson hit a pair of free throws to stop the bleeding and seal the eight-peat.
