PHS boys make way to third-place game

LITTLEFIELD — Two last-second tries came up short, and the Portales High boys basketball team found itself playing for third place on Saturday night in Littlefield’s Wildcat Classic.

With the 55-53, double-overtime loss to Nazareth in Friday night’s semifinals, the Rams faced Lamesa (Texas) for third place on Saturday night, while the Swifts took on host Littlefield in the finale for the championship game. Littlefield rallied late to beat Lamesa in Friday’s late semifinal.

Earlier Friday, the Rams notched a 66-42 win over Tahoka (Texas), outscoring the Bulldogs 36-13 to erase a one-point halftime deficit.

PHS (4-4) led virtually the entire first half against Nazareth, but the Swifts went on a 13-6 run in the third quarter to grab a two-point lead. It was 43-43 at the end of regulation.

A late 3-pointer — the Swifts’ only points of the first OT — knotted the game again at 46-46. The Rams used a baseball pass to get into scoring range as time expired, but the shot was off the mark.

The Swifts took the lead with two seconds left in the second extra session. After a timeout, Portales threw the ball deep again, but the shot missed the target.

The Rams lost junior post Kenevan Bailey to a hamstring injury during the second half. PHS coach Rickie McBroom said he didn’t expect Bailey to play on Saturday night, opting to give him time to recover before the team’s next game on Saturday.

“Scoring was very difficult for both teams at times,” McBroom said of the contest. “The Kenevan Bailey injury didn’t help.”

A 14-for-28 performance from the foul line also proved too much to overcome.

“If we’d have just made a few more free throws, we would’ve had a better chance to win,” McBroom said.

Senior guard Kellan Hightower led the Rams with three 3-pointers and 20 points. Junior Aidan Moore (17 points) and senior Nathaneal VanDijk (16) led the way for the Swifts, with Moore shooting 9-of-10 from the free throw line.

In the earlier matchup, the Rams hit seven of their 10 3-point baskets after halftime to take control against Tahoka. Six-foot-3 senior forward Tristan Stice scored 17 points in the first half to keep the Bulldogs (8-8) in front, but the Rams limited him to eight points the rest of the way.

“We really defended him well in the second half,” McBroom said. “That was a big difference in the game.

“We just came out (of halftime) and executed better, especially offensively. We had to make adjustments in some of the things we were doing, and we did that.”

Hightower against finished with three 3s and 20 points, including 12 tallies in a 20-7 Rams fourth-quarter blitz. Meantime, junior guard Chanden Neece added four 3s and finished with 14 points.

Portales 69, New Home (Texas) 50 (Thursday, first round) — Neece came off the bench for five 3-pointers and a personal-best 15 points as the Rams overcame slow starts in each half.

“In the second quarter, we went to fullcourt pressure which caused them problems and allowed us to get some easy baskets,” McBroom said.

Senior guard Rico Diaz, Hightower and Bailey all added 11 points for PHS, which finished the game with eight 3-pointers. Meantime, the smaller Leopards, had seven 3s, but McBroom said the Rams played solid defense overall against a team which relies heavily on the 3-ball.

“I thought we did a good job,” he said. “They made seven, but I thought we did a good job of limiting them.”

Hightower scored nine of his points in the second half, while Diaz sparked a 23-7 Rams domination of the second quarter with seven points. Portales erased a five-point deficit at the quarter to lead 31-20 at the break.

The Leopards (5-6) got within a point late in the third period, but Neece’s long-range shooting helped Portales pull away again in the final period.

Senior guard Kaleb Leclair had three of New Home’s 3-pointers and finished with 13 points, while sophomore Jordan Moore had 12 points and junior Ryan Weeks 10.