Rams rally late for OT win at Alamogordo

ALAMOGORDO – Portales High’s boys overcame bus problems on the way out and Alamogordo during the game, pulling out a 66-64 overtime victory over the Tigers on Saturday night.

The Rams’ bus broke down on the way to the game. A bus from Capitan was summoned and got the team to its destination, with the contest starting a bit late as a result.

PHS (7-9) opened a 31-23 halftime lead, but was outscored 17-8 in the third stanza and trailed by a point entering the final frame.

“We could never get away from them,” Rams coach Ty Thatcher said. “Then we didn’t score for the first three or four minutes of the third quarter. We got some good looks, but we just couldn’t finish the plays.”

The game seesawed in the final segment. Junior guard Isiah Richards’ two free throws with four seconds left gave the Tigers (8-8) a 55-52 lead, but Rams senior guard Joel Lujan let fly from near midcourt for a 3 to sent it into bonus time.

“He might have been able to take another dribble (before shooting),” Thatcher said. “But he had a guy closing in on him, so he made the right decision.”

In the OT, senior guard Jase Hightower banked in a 15-foot shot as time expired to give the Rams their third consecutive win.

“It was a little desperate at the end for us,” Thatcher said. “But we got it done somehow.”

Lujan finished with three 3-pointers and a personal-best 23 points for the Rams while Hightower added 15, including the Rams’ last eight in overtime. Senior forward Xavier Tarpeh added a personal-best 11 points, and 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Pierce Culpepper scored 10.

The Rams played without 6-5 junior forward/center Carson Pfaffenberger, who was away on a college baseball recruiting visit to Abilene Christian, Thatcher said.

Senior guard Jordan Bryant scored 13 points while 6-4 sophomore forward/center Julian Favela had three 3s and 12 points for the Tigers (8-8), who were coming off a last-second win at home on Friday night against Clovis High.

Next up for the Rams is a 6:30 p.m. clash on Thursday against New Mexico Military in Roswell. PHS hosts Tularosa in a 3:30 p.m. tip at the RAC.