Rams, Lady Rams notch victories against Goddard

ROSWELL – It wasn’t pretty, but Portales High’s girls got what they needed to start their District 4-4A slate.

Trailing 5-4 early, the Lady Rams held Roswell Goddard to four points the rest of the half, then pulled away in the final stanza for a 49-34 victory over the Lady Rockets on Friday night.

The early surge gave PHS (16-5 overall) a 23-9 cushion at halftime, and that proved to be important when Goddard (7-13) pulled to within five points with a strong fourth quarter.

Junior guard Myleigh Banda led the Lady Rams, going 9-of-10 from the free throw line en route to 18 points. She got 10 of them in the second stanza, when she converted all six of her charity tosses.

Senior guard Angel Ornelas added 10 points, seven assists and six steals for the Lady Rams. Junior forward Evannie Fulfer finished with eight points and eight rebounds, while sophomore forward Skyler Massey contributed six boards and four steals.

Portales, which has won eight of nine, went on an 18-8 blitz over the final eight minutes to pull away.

“We weren’t playing well at all,” Lady Rams coach Wade Fraze said of the third stanza. “But the kids picked it up again and finished well.”

Junior forward Ashlee Buck was the only double-digit scorer for the Lady Rockets with 14 points, including all four of the team’s 3-point baskets.

Portales 54, Goddard 46 (boys) – Despite leading 14-4 at the quarter, the Rams also had a bit of a fight on their hands as Goddard (3-16) kept it close for three segments. Portales (14-7) outscored the Rockets 20-14 in the final stanza.

“Playing on the road is never easy,” Rams coach Randy McBroom said. “The flu hit us hard this week, but our kids battled and executed.”

Sophomore forward Carson Pfaffenberger had 13 of his 15 points in the second half and added 11 rebounds for the Rams. Junior guard Jase Hightower added 7-for-8 from the line en route to 13 points, while junior guard Joel Lujan finished with 10 tallies.

Sophomore guards Isaiah Mestas and Eli Barncastle led Goddard with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Mestas had a trio of 3-pointers while Barncastle got nine of his points after halftime.

PHS squads host Artesia on Tuesday in district games at the RAC.