Artesia (16-3) at Clovis (11-7)
When: 7 p.m. today at Rock Staubus Gym
Radio: KCLV-AM 1240, KICA-FM 98.3.
Notes: The Class 4A Bulldogs won their first 12 games of the season before losing to Santa Teresa 49-47 in the Portales Shootout in early January. … Artesia dropped road games to Deming (66-56) on Jan. 17 and Carlsbad (65-62) last Tuesday, but bounced back with wins over Belen (65-62) and Moriarty (71-32) at home over the weekend. The Bulldogs' most notable win was a 77-74 overtime verdict over Hobbs at home on Jan. 6. “They’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Clovis coach J.D. Isler said. “I think they’re ranked first to third (in 4A), depending on the poll you see.” …  Clovis beat Artesia twice last season — 74-52 in the finals of the Bulldogs’ tournament in December and 78-65 at Artesia on Feb. 1. … Derek Montoya, a 6-foot-3 senior G and son of Bulldogs coach Isidro Montoya, is probably the team’s best player. “He does it all; he shoots it inside or outside,” Isler said. … The Cats ended a three-game losing streak with a 76-70 win at Rio Rancho on Saturday behind 29 points from 6-7 senior P Jaye Crockett. … After battling foul problems in recent games, 6-5 senior F Arthur Calbert contributed 17 points to Saturday’s win. “His being on the floor for us is a big deal,” Isler said. “He takes some of the scoring load off Jaye, plus he’s one of our better rebounders.” … Isler said some of the Cats’ problems can be attributed to a difficult schedule that has also included games at Gallup and Highland.
Quotable: “We’re coming off a real solid game at Rio Rancho. Hopefully we can play well at home.” — Isler.

— Compiled by Dave Wagner