Alamo defeats Rams

Randy McBroom knew Alamogordo would challenge his Portales High boys basketball team on Friday night in the Portales Shootout.

What he didn't anticipate from the Tigers was 10 3-pointers.

Seven players tallied eight or more points as Alamo (10-3) took the lead for good on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the quarter and went on to beat the Rams 72-55 at the Ram Athletic Center.

"We competed for the majority of the night," Rams coach Randy McBroom said. "It was just one of those things. We just couldn't get over the hump."

Junior guard Damiran Smith led four Tigers in double digits with 13 points, while 6-foot-4 senior forward Jason Warren had 12 and senior guard Deonta Bynum and junior guard Marcus Bryant junior added 11 apiece.

Leading 18-15 at the quarter, the Tigers stretched the margin to 33-24 at halftime before netting 24 points in the third frame to get the margin up to 17.

PHS (9-4) made a brief run in the final stanza, getting the margin to single digits before Alamo nailed it down.

Junior guard Jase Hightower posted 18 points, junior forward Paxton Culpepper had 12 and sophomore forward Carson Pfaffenberger notched 10 for the Rams. Pfaffenberger and junior Xavier Tarpeh had six rebounds each for PHS, while Culpepper had five rebounds and three assists.

In Friday's other boys tilt, Class 3A No. 1 Las Vegas Robertson outlasted Pojoaque 67-65.

The Rams, who closed out the three-day event on Saturday night against Robertson, return to action on Tuesday in a 6 p.m. tipoff against Moriarty at the RAC.

Portales 63, Pojoaque 51 (Thursday) – The Elks erased a five-point halftime deficit by outscoring PHS 24-16 in the third quarter for a 43-40 lead. The Rams tallied the first six points of the final quarter, then leading 52-51 finished it off with a game-ending 11-0 surge.

Hightower scored 13 of his game-high 18 points in the second half for the Rams, while Culpepper got eight of his 15 in the final canto. Tarpeh followed with a personal-best 14 points.

Pfaffenberger led PHS with 12 rebounds, while Culpepper and Hightower both collected four assists.

"We'd get up by a couple and then get down by a couple; it went that way most of the game, but we finally got it going," Rams coach Randy McBroom said. "It was a really good team win for us. Pojoaque's a really scrappy team, and it was a heck of a game."

For the Elks (6-7), sophomore guard Joziah Salazar posted 11 points while senior guard Dalian Lopez and sophomore forward Serafin Mendez added nine apiece.

Robertson 63, Farwell 51 (Thursday) – In the Steers' only game in the event, the Cardinals broke it open with a 19-8 blitz in the third quarter for a 13-point cushion.

Senior Mateo Contreras led Robertson (10-1 after Friday's win over Pojoaque) with 18 points, while juniors Nathaniel Gonzales and Jesse Gonzales added 17 and 16, respectively. Farwell (11-9) also had a trio in double digits – junior Ryder McElroy with 20 points, and seniors Corey Stancell with 13 and Cesar Snyder with 11.