Lady Cats prevail over pair of foes

SANDIA PARK - Friday's game against East Mountain got off to a rough start, but it was smooth sailing from there for Clovis High's girls.

Coach Jeff Reed said the Lady Wildcats were assessed a pregame technical for only having four starters marked in the official scorebook, and host East Mountain promptly converted the two free throws before any time came off the clock.

It was all Clovis after that. The Lady Cats threw fullcourt pressure at the unsuspecting Class 3A Lady Timberwolves in the second stanza, outscoring them 32-0, en route to a 69-18 victory.

Sophomore guard Zarai Lewis scored 17 points as CHS (3-1) posted its third consecutive win after a season-opening, 10-point loss at Rio Rancho Cleveland.

Lewis and senior guard Yvonne Fuerte, who added 13 points, combined to go 12-for-14 from the foul line as the Lady Cats finished the night 16-for-23.

Leading 15-7 after one stanza, the Lady Cats' second-period blitz opened a jaw-dropping 40-point cushion at halftime.

"We started pressing them in the second quarter, and when we pressed them they couldn't handle it," Reed said. "I figured it would be a game where we'd be able to work on some stuff in a game situation, and it worked out that way.

"It was nice for everybody to get some playing time."

The Lady Cats dropped seven 3-pointers on East Mountain, surprisingly only two coming in the second quarter. Lewis had three trifectas for the night.

Junior guard Martha De La Rosa came off the bench to add 10 points, including a pair of 3s. Senior Rylee Allen's six points led East Mountain (1-2).

Tuesday night, the Lady Cats look for No. 4 in a row when they visit Artesia.

"It's definitely a game we feel like we can win, but it's going to be tough at Artesia," Reed said.

Clovis 56, Roswell Goddard 51 (Tuesday) - The Lady Cats overcame a six-point deficit by outscoring the Lady Rockets 21-10 in the final stanza.

Goddard (0-2) broke away from a 24-24 halftime tie by outscoring CHS 17-11 in the third segment, but Lewis (nine) and junior guard/post Ali Thomas (six) combined for 15 points in the fourth period, including a 3-pointer and 4-for-4 from the foul line for Lewis.

The first half went back and forth and was tight the whole time, Reed said.

"We came out sluggish in the third period, but we woke up all of a sudden," he said. "It's nice to have somebody (Lewis) who can make free throws (late) to help win a game."

Reed said a Goddard player inadvertently rebounded a ball into Clovis' basket on a missed Lady Cats free throw early in the fourth, and that helped turn the game.

"It was like they (Lady Rockets) got rattled after that," he said.

Lewis went 6-for-6 overall from the foul line and tallied 15 points, while junior post Shalanda Lefevre added 10. For Goddard, junior guard Ericca Cannon had 20 points and senior guard Alexis Sandoval 17, and each had three of the Lady Rockets' six 3-point baskets.