ROSWELL — Clovis High’s boys played fairly well in the middle of Friday’s game against Roswell.

Things didn’t go very well at the start, or at the end.

Senior guard Keydrick Allen led four Roswell players in double figures with 21 points and the Coyotes, top-ranked in Class 4A, handed the Wildcats a 72-46 shellacking Friday night.

Senior guard Deyton DeLaCerda added 16 points while senior forward Marek Olesinski and senior post A.J. Peralta finished with 10 each for the Coyotes (20-2).

Clovis (14-9) trailed 21-8 at the end of the first quarter, but cut a 15-point halftime deficit to nine in the third stanza before Roswell began to pull away for good.

“They got off to a quick start,” CHS interim coach Scott Robinson said. “After that, we kind of settled down and played with them.

“We wanted to cut the (halftime margin) in half and give ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter. We felt like we had that going, but they made a run.”

Roswell outscored the Cats by nine field goals, and cemented the victory by shooting 16-for-17 from the free throw line — led by Allen with 11-of-11.

Senior Marcus Slocum led the Cats with 20 points, while senior Kyler Brewer-Hill added 10. Foul trouble limited 6-foot-8 senior Logan Turnbow’s time on the court, and he finished with seven points.

Robinson said Slocum probably played his best game in a while.

“It was good to see him kind of break out of his slump,” Robinson said. “Hopefully, he can keep that going (Tuesday at home against Carlsbad) and he can get Logan going.”

With a 2-0 record in District 4-5A, the Cats are positioned to clinch the regular-season district title if they beat Carlsbad at home. The Cavemen upended Hobbs at home 67-58 on Friday.

“It’s a big opportunity for us Tuesday night,” Robinson said.