Lady Cats notch late triumph

AMARILLO – Clovis High’s girls finished with a season low in scoring. But one day after their top two players combined for just 11 points in a lopsided win over Santa Fe High, they were back on the attack at Amarillo Caprock.

Senior guard Zarai Lewis scored 16 points and senior post Kailyn Jefferson added 15, and the Lady Wildcats held on late for a 40-37 victory over the Lady Longhorns.

In a nip-and-tuck battle, senior forward Mackenzie Roche made 1-of-2 free throws with under 30 seconds left to give CHS (10-2) a 38-37 lead. After a turnover by Caprock, junior guard Amanda De La Rosa found Lewis behind the defense on a baseball pass for a clinching layup as time expired.

“Amanda hit her with a perfect pass, and she got the layup,” Reed said.

Clovis led 12-8 at the quarter, but the Lady Longhorns (15-5) battled back and took a 29-28 advantage into the final stanza. De La Rosa hit a bank-shot 3 to push the Lady Cats in front during the period.

“Caprock wasn’t bad; they just weren’t that skilled,” Reed said. “They had a lot of size, and they played hard.

“There were times the physical nature of the game got to us, but we were able to do enough to get a win.”

Senior forward Alyssia Johnson and junior guard Mariah Renner both finished with 13 points for the Lady Longhorns. They combined for all five of the team’s 3-point baskets, with Renner hitting three and Johnson two,

Reed said it was a good game to have after the team’s 38-point blowout the day before at Rock Staubus Gym.

“We needed to be pushed like that,” he said. “You don’t want to just blow everybody out.”

CHS returns to action on Saturday against another Amarillo squad, Palo Duro. That contest is set for a 3:30 p.m. tip at The Rock.