Late 3-pointer lifts Coyotes past Melrose

CAPITAN – Sophomore Aaron Combs’ 3-point shot in the closing seconds on Saturday night lifted Dora to a 51-50 victory over Melrose in the championship game of Capitan’s Smokey Bear tournament.

The Buffaloes (7-2) missed on a last-second attempt to pull out the win. Senior Steven Masini scored 28 points for the Coyotes (9-1) in what was a seesaw battle most of the way.

Sophomore Cy Draper finished with 16 points and junior Michael Cardonita added 12 for the Buffs.

Meantime, Melrose cruised to the title on the girls’ side, posting a 41-25 win over Capitan in the championship game.

The Lady Buffs (9-1) extended a 13-4 lead at the quarter to 15 points at halftime and kept the Lady Tigers (6-3) at arm’s length the rest of the way.

No one reached double figures on either side. For Melrose, senior Sorrell Allen had eight points and senior Isabelle Sena and junior Graci Odom chipped in seven apiece.

Capitan’s top scorer was senior Tylee Whipple with nine points.

In the girls’ third-place tilt, Dora held off Eunice 44-38 to improve to 8-4 for the season.

Eunice (4-6) stayed close for three quarters before the Lady Coyotes edged away. Junior Faith Jasso scored 20 points and junior Bre’Ann Rodriguez tossed in 10 for Dora, while the Lady Cardinals got 15 points from junior Chloe Jones and 10 from senior Jasmin Martinez.

Citizens Bank tournament, Texico – Farwell dominated form the get-go and handed Texico a 56-14 loss in the girls’ championship game.

Nine players scored for the Lady Blue (14-3), led by 14 from senior Charlie Trimble and eight apiece from senior Jaelyn Smith and sophomore Makylee Baldwin. Meantime, the Lady Wolverines (4-7) got six points from senior Catelyn Breshears and four from sophomore Desiree Holman.

In boys’ final-round action, Farwell defeated Newcomb 49-43 for third place while Texico cruised past Jal 58-33 in the fifth-place contest.

Farwell (8-4) grabbed an 11-point halftime lead by outscoring the Skyhawks 17-7 in the second quarter, but Newcomb (5-4) was able to stay in striking range for much of the second half.

Junior Corey Stancell had 14 points and sophomore Ryder McElroy chipped in nine for the Steers. Senior Javin Tracy took game honors with 22 points for the Skyhawks.

Texico (7-4) held Jal to seven first-half points and was never challenged.

Junior Cade Figg scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the opening stanza as the Wolverines bolted to a 21-5 cushion, while senior Jahvon Askew finished with 14. For the Panthers (5-3), senior Uly Cervantes tallied 14 points.

Mountain Top Invitational, Cloudcroft – In a game where both sides had trouble scoring, unbeaten Cliff went 17-for-17 from the foul line and got a last-second basket from freshman Brennan Shock to edge Clovis Christian 36-34 in the tournament championship game.

Senior Noah Gershon’s 3-pointer pulled the Eagles (7-2) even with seven seconds left before Shock’s game-winner. CCS finished 5-for-10 from the foul line and scored half its points in the final segment, which the Eagles entered trailing 21-17.

Senior Coy Judd led the Cowboys (8-0) with 13 points while Shock finished with 10.

Gershon’s late 3 gave him CCS scoring honors with 11 points. Senior Carter Teune tossed in 10 points, and junior Jaden Martinez scored eight.

Fort Sumner Shootout – Elida’s boys bounced back from a first-day loss to beat Roy/Mosquero 58-51 on Saturday morning.

The Tigers (3-7) built a 12-point halftime lead, then survived a rough third quarter in which they scored only three points and saw their margin cut to two. Junior Seth Jimenez and sophomore Gunner Tipton scored 13 points each for Elida, while the Blue (2-6), with two juniors and eight younger players on their 10-man roster, were led by 17 points apiece from sophomores Jackson Fudge and Ayden Clavel and 10 from freshman Ike Smith.

On Friday, the Tigers dropped a 71-60 decision to Albuquerque-based Legacy Academy.

The Silverbacks (4-4), who lost to top-ranked host Fort Sumner 61-47 on Saturday, broke open Friday’s tilt with a 19-8 scoring surge in the final stanza.

Elida, which led 37-36 at halftime, got 23 points from senior Jose Jimenez against Legacy while younger brother Seth added 14. For the Silverbacks, sophomore Daniel Tavarez paced four players in double figures with 16 points while senior Noah Gantt added 14, junior Robie Turrieta 13 and sophomore Zachai Bradford 10.

On the girls’ side, the Lady Tigers (1-7) lost to Maxwell 39-30 on Friday and to Clayton 46-23 on Saturday.