Cougars take 1 vs. 2 battle
Las Cruces boys also prevail in a 1-2 matchup, rallying to beat Cleveland
This was one showdown that didn’t disappoint.
Cibola’s top-ranked girls trailed No. 2 Hobbs by as many as 14 points in the first half on Friday night, but the Cougars regrouped after halftime and eventually outlasted the visiting Eagles 63-59 in a Class 6A nondistrict matchup.
Cibola improved to 8-0. Hobbs fell to 7-1.
The Eagles played an impressive opening two quarters. They hurt Cibola on the glass, their half-court defense was stellar, and their team speed was a factor.
But, down 10 at halftime, Cibola coach Lori Mabrey went to work.
“I told them to start acting like they were an undefeated team,” Mabrey said. “And I thought they did an incredible job of that.”
The Eagles were still in front 42-31 when Cibola began to make its push, led by Amaya Brown, Kayla Martinez, Paige Pyke and Adamari Waddell — who combined to score all but eight of Cibola’s points.
Pyke hit two late baskets in the third quarter as the Cougars closed on a 13-3 spurt and trailed 45-44 headed to the last quarter.
A 3-pointer by Azia Himeur gave Cibola a 47-45 edge two minutes into the fourth quarter, Cibola’s first lead since 2-0.
The game was tied five times in the fourth quarter; Pyke’s two free throws with 52 seconds left were the last in regulation. Both teams missed shots in the waning seconds that might have averted OT.
“We were not tough in the first half,” said Brown, who led Cibola with 20 points. “We played tougher in the second half.”
Martinez’s 16 points included a putback of a Brown miss on the first possession of the OT, which Cibola controlled.
Hobbs was ultimately undone by some horrendous shooting. The Eagles connected on just two of 17 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter, and missed all six fieldgoal tries in the four-minute extra session.
Hobbs had a 27-13 lead midway through the second quarter, with senior guard Amaya Lewis getting the better of her cousin, Cibola’s Brown. Lewis had a three-point play in which Brown was the person who fouled her, and also buried a 3-pointer over Brown.
The Eagles also consistently did an excellent job of getting out in transition, with several borderline cherry-picking outlet baskets catching Cibola’s defense off guard.
Lewis led all scorers with 23 points, but was 1-of-14 from the field after halftime. — James Yodice CARLSBAD 56, LA CUEVA 50: At La Cueva, junior guard Carsyn Boswell had a team-best 19 points for the Cavegirls (9-1). Kaya Ingram had 21 points to pace the Bears (2-3).
Carlsbad, ranked No. 4 in 6A, will face No. 6 West Mesa at 2:30 this afternoon.
Boys
LAS CRUCES 68, CLEVELAND
64: In Las Cruces, 6A’s top-ranked Bulldawgs (10-0) scored the final seven points of the game and rallied past the second-ranked Storm (6-2) which lost its second straight.
Senior forward R.J. Brown led Las Cruces with 24 points.
It was the first meeting between the teams since the Bulldawgs beat the Storm in the state semifinals last March at the Pit. ATRISCO HERITAGE 73, MANZANO 49: At Atrisco, forward Jordan Arroyo led the Jaguars (6-1) with 20 points as they pulled away in the second half and routed the previously unbeaten Monarchs (5-1).
Manzano, however, was without its leading scorer, 6-foot-7 senior forward Eric Sonnenberg, who had strep throat, Monarchs coach Dominick Romero said.
LA CUEVA 78, CARLSBAD 57: At La Cueva, Lawrence Calais scored 19 points for the Bears (4-3) in their victory over the Cavemen (3-4).
HOBBS 77, CIBOLA 60: At Cibola, Clay Strasner led the Eagles (5-3) with 27 points. Cameron Dixon had 27, including seven 3s, for Cibola (2-4). VALLEY 62, RIO RANCHO 59: At Valley, senior guard Anthony Chavez’s 27 points led the Vikings, who came from behind in the fourth quarter. BERNALILLO 71, PECOS 68: Reyes Herrera led the Spartans (8-0) with 20 points in their victory.