Clovis girls fall to Carlsbad

CLOVIS – The Carlsbad girls basketball team’s 55-34 road win over Clovis Tuesday night was not exactly breaking news.

With the Cavegirls’ record and reputation, a victory over young Clovis was expected; a loss would’ve been one for the breaking news file. So Tuesday’s outcome was more of the same for Carlsbad, who improved to 21-3 overall, 3-1 in District 4-5A.

As expected as the victory may have been, it was also welcomed by Cavegirls head coach John Zumbrun.

“We’re 21-3. If you told me before the season we’d be 21-3, I think we’d take it,” Zumbrun said. “But I think we have some improvements to make.”

For the Lady Wildcats, Tuesday’s game also played out in similar fashion to most of their prior ones – some promise, a few glimmers of hope before an ultimate defeat. First- and third-quarter runs gave the Lady ’Cats some of those glimmers before they fell to 8-16 overall, 1-3 district.

“The thing about Carlsbad, you can hold ’em and hold ’em and hold ’em, but sooner or later they’re going to knock some down,” Clovis head coach Jeff Reed said.

“They’re pretty big inside,” Clovis sophomore wing-post Mikyla Harkley said, “which made it hard for us to go to the basket.”

Carlsbad jumped to a 9-0 first-quarter lead before Clovis junior forward Madison Tolbert finally sank a baseline jumper from the left side, putting the Lady Wildcats on the board with 5:15 to play in the first. It was the start of a 7-2 run for the Lady ’Cats that brought them within four.

But then it was Carlsbad’s turn to go on a run, scoring the last five points of the quarter – with a two from Carsyn Boswell and a right-elbow trey from Teran Tiller – making it a 16-7 game as the second quarter began.

Carlsbad kept rolling in the new period, turning the 5-0 end-of-first-quarter surge into a 12-0 run overall. With putbacks from Kaliyah Montoya and Dayshaun Moore, plus a right-side three from Boswell, the Cavegirls built themselves a 23-7 cushion and gained some momentum in the process. By halftime, they had stormed to a 35-15 advantage.

“”We were able to sub early in the first and get our kids some rest,” Zumbrun said. “I think that’s what contributed to the run; I thought we got some good rest in the first.”

Clovis fought back, though, chiseling the difference to just 14, as Lady Wildcats junior guard Aydan Everett punctuated her team’s third-quarter run by sticking a jumper late in the period, making it 44-30 by the third quarter’s end.

“Those Clovis kids, they didn’t lay down,” Zumbrun said.

Were it not for some missed free throws and turnovers, the Lady ’Cats might’ve drawn even closer.

“If we could’ve gotten it to single digits going into the fourth we would’ve had a chance maybe,” Reed said.

Clovis opened the fourth quarter with possession, but couldn’t capitalize on it. And on the other end, Montoya buried a three to give Carlsbad a 17-point advantage. The Cavegirls’ lead never shrunk to less than that again.

“We’ve got Boswell outside, Montoya inside. We’ve got a nice inside-outside punch. Our role players have got to step up and make plays and I think they were able to do that tonight,” Zumbrun said. “That’s what it comes down to – being able to put the ball in the basket.”

Carlsbad 55, Clovis 34

Carlsbad 16 19 9 11 - 55

Clovis 7 8 15 4 - 34

Clovis – Mikyla Harkley 9, Annabelle Martinez 2, Hanna Nussbaumer 4, Aydan Everett 5, Antanishwa Molett 7, Kaydee Weaver 4, Madison Tolbert 3. Totals 12 8-16 34.

Carlsbad – Baylee Molina 6, Destiny Young 3, Teran Tiller 9, Carsyn Boswell 15, Tori Flores 6, Morgan Boatwright 2, Dayshaun Moore 2, Kaliyah Montoya 12. Totals 21 4-9 55.

3-point goals – Carlsbad, Molina 2, Boswell 2, Flores 2, Young, Tiller, Montoya. Clovis, Harkley, Everett. Records – Carlsbad 21-3, 3-1. Clovis 8-16, 1-3.