Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Clovis High senior guard Brian Weiss penetrates the baseline as Roswell Goddard's Chris Zapata tries to cut him off during Tuesday's boys matchup at Rock Staubus Gym. The Wildcats opened their 2022-23 campaign by routing the Rockets 72-33.
CLOVIS – The Josh Mattox era at Clovis High began with a bang on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats dominated from start to finish en route to an easy season-opening 72-33 victory over Roswell Goddard at Rock Staubus Gym in the CHS coaching debut of Mattox.
Clovis shot 50 percent from the floor, including 63 percent from 2-point range and 10-of-26 from beyond the arc.
"It was one of those nights," Mattox said. "We put the pressure on right away. We kept ringing the bell and knocked down open shots."
The Cats led 18-9 after one quarter, then buried the Rockets with a 23-point barrage in the second stanza for a 25-point halftime advantage.
All but one of Clovis' 11 players hit the scoring column. Junior forward J.J. Jones had three 3-pointers, and six others had one apiece.
Senior forward R.J. Nora led three Cats in double digits with 14 points, while junior forward Champ Gooden scored 12 and Jones finished with 10.
For the Rockets, senior guard Jerrick Mendoza tallied 14 points, and junior guard/forward Chris Zapata added 10.
The Cats are off until Monday night when they entertain Lovington in a 7 p.m. tipoff at The Rock.
Lady Cats cruised to victory – At Roswell, junior guard Zarai Lewis funneled in 14 points and Clovis High's girls ran away from Goddard 42-22.
Senior forward Ali Thomas added 12 points for the Lady Wildcats (2-1), who turned the game into a rout with a 13-4 scoring edge in the final segment.
"We missed a lot of easy shots early in the game," Lady Cats coach Jeff Reed said. "We had 14 turnovers in the first half, but we handed the ball better in the second half."
Senior guard Ericca Cannon did almost all the damage for the Lady Rockets (0-1) with 16 points.
Friday's scheduled game against Dexter at The Rock has been cancelled. Instead, the Lady Demons, who were two games short on their schedule, will now participate in Clovis' holiday tournament, slated for Dec. 20-22.
Reed said the Lady Cats, who are now a game short on their schedule, will look to pick up another opponent, probably for sometime after New Year's.
The next outing for Clovis will be on Tuesday when they host Artesia in a 7 p.m. tipoff.
