Rams find sledding tough in road district setbacks

Eastern New Mexico News, Clovis, N.M.
·2 min read

Feb. 4—LOVINGTON — On the heels of a nine-game winning streak, Portales High's boys have hit a speed bump this week in District 4-4A action.

The Rams followed up a loss at Artesia on Tuesday with a 44-39 setback against Lovington on Friday night. PHS scored only 23 points in the first three quarters, and the team's comeback bid in the final stanza was cut short after they tied the game twice.

"We've just got to shoot the ball better," Rams coach Randy McBroom said. "They (Rams) played hard and battled. We just fell a little bit short."

Sophomore forward Mika Pando was the Wildcats' only player in double digits, scoring 12 points. He got 10 of them in the second half as Lovington (12-8, 1-1) bounced back from a district-opening home loss to Artesia on Jan. 27, winning for the fourth time in five games.

Senior guard Xodus Gomez led the Rams with 10 points, all coming in the second half, and added team highs of eight rebounds and four steals. Portales (14-9, 1-2) managed only 12 field goals and converted just 9-of-21 free throws.

The Rams are idle on Tuesday. They return to action on Friday at Roswell Goddard.

Artesia 67, Portales 52 (Tuesday) — Senior guard Nick Sanchez and junior guard Diego Wesson each scored 18 points to lead four Bulldogs in double figures at Artesia.

The Rams led 19-14 at the quarter and still carried a two-point advantage into halftime, but were held to just 18 second-half tallies, including only six in the third stanza.

"It was definitely a battle," McBroom said. "The final score is a little deceiving — we were right there.

"Artesia's a tough place to (play), but our kids battled. We just fell a little short in the end."

Wesson connected on four of Artesia's six 3-pointers. Also in double digits for the Bulldogs (13-9, 2-0) were senior forwards Cameron Thorp with two 3s and 12 points and Rylee Jarralt with 12 points.

Only sophomore guard Paxton Culpepper earned double figures for PHS with 13 points. Gomez and senior forward Davian Lucero each finished with nine tallies.

Gomez had four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while sophomore guard Jase Hightower led the Rams in rebounds with five.