Rams defeat Dons in tournament
Dec. 31—LAS VEGAS, N.M. — Finally, things went favorably for Portales High's boys in Thursday's final round of the Stu Clark tournament.
Four players reached double figures and the Rams turned back West Las Vegas 75-57 in the seventh-place game of the tournament.
Rams coach Randy McBroom had not been happy with his team's play during the first two rounds, but said Thursday's effort against the Dons (5-5) was one of the better ones so far this season.
"Today we played the full 32 minutes," he said. "We've competed with teams for three quarters or 3 1/2 quarter, but to beat good teams you have to go the full 32."
Free throws had been an issue this season for the Rams (7-7), including earlier in this event. On Thursday, though, Portales shot 22-of-28 from the free throw line, including 8-of-9 by senior guard Xodus Gomez, while the Dons were just 11-of-22.
"Xodus had a really good tournament," McBroom said. "I was proud of our guys today; we've had a lot of adversity this week.
"In the fourth quarter, we kind of had to weather a storm, and we did. (Wednesday against St. Michael's), we had the same opportunity, and we didn't do it."
Gomez led PHS with 15 points, followed by sophomore Paxton Culpepper with 13, junior Zane Mayberry with 11 and senior Markus Aranda with 10. Gomez and Culpepper paced the Rams with seven rebounds each, while Gomez also delivered four steals.
Portales returns to action on Monday at Moriarty before hosting its four-team, round-robin Portales Shootout beginning on Thursday at the Ram Athletic Center.
Las Vegas Robertson 63, Portales 48 (Tuesday, quarterfinals) — The Cardinals, ranked No. 1 by MaxPreps in Class 3A, improved to 8-0 as senior Bodie Schlinger tallied 17 points, sophomore Jesse Gonzales added 12 and 6-foot-4 eighth-grader Nathan Gonzales scored 11.
Robertson led 13-10 at the quarter and gradually expanded the margin. Jesse Gonzales had three of the team's five 3-point baskets.
Senior guard Damian Lucero had three 3s and 15 points for the Rams, who were hurt by 5-for-13 shooting from the free throw line.
St. Michael's 72, Portales 66 (Wednesday, consolation semifinals) — The Horsemen erased an 18-point halftime deficit, outscoring the Rams 46-22 in the second half and dropping Portales into the seventh-place tilt.
Senior guard Josh Sanchez connected on five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points for St. Mike's (6-4), while senior guard Adam Montoya added 16, junior guard Lucas Gurule 13 and senior post Taven Lozada 12, accounting for all but eight of the team's points. Montoya scored 11 of his points in the final stanza, going 9-for-9 from the foul line.
For the Rams, Gomez led the way with 18 points, while Mayberry tallied a personal-best 16 points and Lucero chipped in 10.
