Jaguars take it to Cats

It certainly wasn't what Corey Pickett was looking for in his debut as the Clovis High boys basketball coach.

Senior guard Latavious Morris scored 26 points and Atrisco Heritage took control from the start in a season-opening 72-46 victory over the Wildcats on Tuesday night at Rock Staubus Gymnasium.

"They've got good players," Pickett said. "I think we had some first-game jitters, and our inexperience kind of got us."

Morris tallied nine first-quarter points, including a 3-point play, to help the Jaguars open a 19-13 advantage at period's end. Junior guards Clifton Brown and Nazayah (Booda) Currie each had a 3-pointer and five points to help keep the Cats close.

Clovis managed only a pair of field goals in the second stanza, however, as the Jaguars opened a 32-21 halftime advantage. They then put it completely out of reach by outscoring the Cats 22-11 in the third canto, with Morris going off for a couple of 3s and 10 points in the period.

"By the end of the game, we got to where we were just trying to play kids and give them some experience," Pickett said.

The teams combined for 11 three-pointers – six by Atrisco – while the Cats went 9-of-10 from the free throw line and the Jaguars finished 8-of-10.

Sophomore guard Malachi Knox netted 15 points – 13 coming in the second half, including a trio of 3-pointers – while junior post Aron Lujan tallied 12.

Brown finished with 16 points for the Cats, including a couple of 3-pointers, while Currie was next in line with nine points.

Pickett said the Cats are a work in progress, but added that the overall effort was good.

"We're playing for March (and a state tournament bid), and not November," he said.

Clovis was slated to play at Rio Rancho on Saturday. Tuesday night, the Cats return to The Rock to take on Hereford in a 7 p.m. tipoff.