Tucumcari played one of their best games of the season in Coach Alicia Trujillo’s words, but the Lady Yellow Jackets of Clayton held on for a 53-43 victory Friday at Rattler Gym. The Lady Rattlers were down by only six points at the end of the first half to a team that beat them by 30 points earlier this season. Tucumcari defenders held Clayton to just 22 points in the first half of Friday’s game. The Lady Yellow Jackets hit only 28 percent from the floor but made up for it with three-pointers and free throws — especially in the second half when they led by as much as 20 points. Still, Tucumcari was able to narrow the gap to just ten points as senior Amanda Tapia hit a three-pointer just before the final buzzer. “We had this team (Clayton), “ Tapia said, “but too many of our girls were in foul trouble.” Jamie Jones scored 22 points for the Lady Rattlers. Whitney Spinks and Sam Montano threw her some sharp passes down near the basket. Tucumcari plays at Clayton Monday in the first game of the district tournament. Coach Trujillo said her team can win at Clayton. “We did a good job of keeping up with them tonight,” Trujillo said. “Clayton beat Santa Rosa by 16 points earlier in the week. We will stick to our game plan. All we’ve got to do is execute the game plan and we can win.” It was senior appreciation night at Rattler Gym. Tapia and Reyna Banuelos are the only graduating Lady Rattlers. “I hope to see the other girls advance over the next couple of years,” Banuelos said. Scoring by Quarter Tucumcari 10 6 8 19 = 43 Clayton 8 14 18 13 = 53 Tucumcari Scoring A. Tapia 5, J. Jones 22, B. Arenas 2, C. Rich 2, T. Span 2, W. Spinks 10.