Rams heading east for Wildcat tournament

PORTALES — Portales High’s basketball teams are rested for the Wildcat Classic this weekend in Littlefield. They’re hoping they’re ready, as well.

Both Portales teams, coming off losses last Tuesday, are making an early trip east. The girls face Muleshoe at 9 a.m. CST, while the boys tackle Denver City in an 11 a.m. CST contest.

Portales’ girls are coming off a rough 59-15 loss to nationally-ranked Frenship. Ram coach Wade Fraze said the team took off holiday time starting Friday, and will get a Wednesday practice in before the tournament. Fraze said he hopes to regain the services of Aaliyah Austin and Marisela Garcia, out since Dec. 14 with concussion protocol, and expects to have guard Mattison Blakey back in the lineup as well. Leading scorer Taylee Rippee will remain out with a dislocated shoulder.

Even a fully healthy Portales team would have its hands full with the 14-team bracket.

“It’s always a tough tournament,” Fraze said. “Last year, we suffered our worse loss of the year to Stratford. The size of the school, when you get into west Texas, it means nothing. A 1A school beating a 5A isn’t that unusual.”

Portales faces either Friona or Wellington 8 a.m. CST Friday with a win, and faces either Denver City or Lamesa 11 a.m. CST Friday with a loss.

The Portales boys, coming off a 59-51 loss at Clovis, took the same approach to the break and practice as the girls.

“I think it’s pretty deep; there are some good teams,” Portales coach Rickie McBroom said of the 16-team field. “The competition’s going to be really good. It’s overall more physical in Texas, and officials allow it to be played that way. It’s good for us to see that.

“(The Mustangs) shoot the ball pretty well, and they run a 1-3-1 zone you don’t see a whole lot of.”

The Rams play either Sundown or Tulia Friday, but the 2 p.m. CST championship bracket game sounds more appealing than the 8 a.m. CST consolation bracket game.

“It’s more important to win just for us (than a favorable schedule),” McBroom said. “This tournament is important to us, because it’s a chance to put three games together. This year, it’s (a possible) four games. A lot of teams around the state have played more games than we have at this point, and this is kind of where we play catch-up.”

All 16 teams play on Thursday, and the second round features two games Thursday and six games Friday. Second-round winners in both the championship and consolation brackets play two more games, while second-round losers get just one more contest.

In Portales’ case, the Rams get a second Friday game if they win their first. They would play 11 a.m. Thursday, 2 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday (all Texas times) if they run the table.

The field doesn’t have an obvious favorite, but it doesn’t have anybody guaranteed for the last-place game either.

“It’s a fair tournament,” McBroom said. “Everybody has a chance to win, but you have to show up and play. That’s really all you can ask for when you go to a tournament.”