Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Clovis High junior guard Kalil Torres-Pierre manages to squeeze between Roswell Goddard defenders Josiah Castillo (left) and Gary Roybal during the first quarter of Tuesday's boys basketball matchup at Rock Staubus Gym. The Wildcats defeated the Rockets 70-32.
It was if Clovis High's boys played three games in one on Tuesday night.
A 13-0 run put the Wildcats in command late in the opening stanza. Then, trailing 21-9, Roswell Goddard used surges of 8-0 and 6-0 to pull to 31-28 two minutes into the second stanza.
With the lead at 34-30 and four minutes left in the third frame, the Cats suddenly regrouped. They held the Rockets to just two free throws the rest of the night and ran away to a 70-32 win at Rock Staubus Gym.
"Once we cranked up that fullcourt trapping pressure, it gave us a big advantage with our depth," Cats coach Josh Mattox said. "Our guys have done a good job so far of defending without fouling."
Senior Marvin Cox led five Cats in double figures with 15 points, while senior Champ Gooden finished with 13 points, senior J.J. Jones and junior Jayden Cox tallied 11 apiece and junior Kailyn Parker had 10.
Even with the early cushion, Gooden said he didn't think the Cats (2-1) had a lot of energy early.
"I felt like we came out slow and we picked up the pace after that," he said. "Later in the third quarter, we started moving the ball (well) and we started hitting shots."
In a sense, the Cats played a near-perfect first half. While their 3-point shots weren't always on target, they didn't commit a foul until the 2:18 mark of the second frame and their first two turnovers came in the final 70 seconds of the half.
Clovis finished with only three fouls – all against reserves – and eight turnovers, compared to 29 mechanical errors for Goddard.
Senior forward/center Chris Zapata led the Rockets with 12 points, while sophomore forward Josiah Castillo contributed nine tallies.
Mattox said depth finally got the better of the Rockets, who were playing their season opener.
"With our depth, we're able to throw multiple bodies into the mix," he said. "I think we were the aggressor on both sides of the ball."
Gooden is confident the team will be considerably tougher to handle than last season, when they finished just 11-16.
"I feel like we're capable of winning a (District 4-5A) championship and making the state playoffs," he said. "All the guys have bought in to what we're doing."
The Cats return to action on Tuesday with a trip to Lovington, then play three games over the weekend in Albuquerque Academy's Joe Armijo Classic. They take Las Cruces High in an 8:15 p.m. quarterfinal tilt on Thursday.
