Top-seeded Cliff exacts revenge on Foxes

RIO RANCHO — By his family’s standards, Ethan Shelley may not be that big. By Class 1A standards, he was huge on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-5 Shelley dominated with 22 points, 21 rebounds and four blocks as top-seeded Cliff exacted some revenge with a 64-41 victory over Fort Sumner at Santa Ana Star Center.

Cliff avenged a 2009 semifinal loss to Fort Sumner and set up a 6:30 p.m. Saturday matchup at The Pit with the winner of Thursday’s later semifinal between Springer and Tatum.

Kolter West had 11 points to lead the Foxes, who finished their season at 19-11.

The fifth-seeded Foxes, who won their first boys state basketball title last season after upsetting the Cowboys, couldn’t repeat the magic against Shelley and a matchup zone from a Cliff squad that prides itself on tough man-to-man defense.

“Quite frankly, we have not played a total of 32 minutes of zone all year,” said coach Pete Shock, who has led Cliff to eight titles in his 32 seasons. “The better people scouted us, the more it would throw them off tonight.”

The Foxes trailed by as many as 25 points, and finished the night with 33 percent shooting.

“They’re hands down better than last year,” Fort Sumner senior Rawley Stallard said. “They’re more disciplined, and they get up and down the floor.”

But Cliff (28-1) was also good in the halfcourt, running its offense through Shelley and getting a lot of help from the backcourt. Guard Shaun Neil added 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

“They gapped us,” Shock said of Fort Sumner’s zone defense last season. “We weren’t aggressive, would not penetrate. Our guards were a year older this time, and they were more aggressive.”

For Shelley, who had a double-double by halftime with 14 points and 12 boards, it was a sweet bit of revenge. He competes in rodeo during the summers with Fort Sumner players, and he never heard the end of it.

The Foxes heard some degree of skepticism they could get back to Albuquerque, especially after losing eight seniors. But Stallard had confidence.

“We knew we were coming back with a lot of speed,” Stallard said. “Everybody stepped up and did their parts.”

Shelley, who posted 21 points and 21 rebounds in a quarterfinal win over Mountainair, routinely comes up big for the Cowboys. His family? A different story.

“I’m the smallest grandchild so far, except for my 10-year-old cousin,” he said.