Bad quarter, free throws kill Cats in loss at Hobbs

HOBBS – On paper, this would appear to be the year to get the Hobbs Eagles.

Clovis High’s boys weren’t able to do it on Friday night, suffering through a four-point second quarter and eventually dropping a 68-67 decision in District 4-5A action.

Junior guard Abraham Pena and sophomore guard Braylon Vega scored 17 points each while 6-foot-10 junior center Parker Henderson added 13 as Hobbs (9-13, 1-1 district) held on late for the win.

“We had a 3-point look that missed, and an offensive rebound (basket) cut it to one as time expired,” Wildcats coach Josh Mattox said. “We had a bad (second) quarter and a lot of missed free throws.”

Leading 24-17 after one, the Cats (14-7, 1-1) found themselves down by six at halftime, managing just one field goal while going 2-for-6 from the line in the stanza. Clovis was just 8-of-19 from the line for the game, while the Eagles finished 11-of-14.

Vega opened the second quarter with consecutive 3s for the Eagles, and freshman center Malakhi David added another late in the canto.

“We turned the ball over probably six or seven times, and we missed some defensive assignments,” Mattox said of the second frame. “We did some really good things at points and some (not so good) things at points.”

CHS found itself down by double figures in the third stanza, but clawed its way back to take a lead midway through the fourth and set up a seesaw finish.

Four players were in double digits for the Cats, led by 6-7 senior center Marvin Cox with 17 points. Junior forward J.J. Saiz and sophomore forward Max Roche had 12 each and senior guard Keilyn Parker chipped in 10.

The Cats hosted Class 1A No. 3 Fort Sumner on Saturday night, and continue a four-game homestand when they resume district play against Roswell High on Friday at The Rock.

Clovis 59, Carlsbad 45 (Tuesday) – The Cats rode a balanced attack and a dominating first three quarters to victory in Tuesday’s district opener at Carlsbad.

Senior forward Champ Gooden led the way with 12 points while sophomore forward Johnny Molina added 11. All told, eight Cats hit the scoring column.

“I thought we played well,” Mattox said. “We turned up the pressure early and forced them into a lot of turnovers in the first half.”

Molina and sophomore forward Max Roche scored six points each as Clovis opened a 20-12 lead at the quarter. By the end of the third frame it was 50-27 before the Cavemen (12-10, 0-2), who lost at Roswell High 57-55 on Friday night, made it a bit closer with a trio of 3-pointers late in the game.

Gooden had one of his better outings of the season.

“He’s kind of been struggling,” Mattox said. “It’s good to see him get going a little bit.”

CHS lost 6-foot-4 senior forward J.J. Jones to a broken hand suffered in practice on Monday. He’s expected to miss at least four weeks, and Mattox said the Cats are hopeful of getting him back late in the season.

Six-foot-4 senior forward Samuel Gee led the Cavemen with 14 points, while junior guard Jacob Chavarria added 10.