EPAC highlights basketball action

link CMI Photo: Tony Bullocks.

Texico Wolverine's Jonah Tuls is defended by Tucumcari's Daniel Lopez and Zedric Hendren Green during Saturday night's championship game of the Citizen Bank Tournament at Texico. The Rattlers beat the Wolverines 71-61.

QCS Senior Writer

All Quay County high school basketball teams will be in action this week.

The Longhorns and Coyotes will be playing in the EPAC tournament in Melrose while the Rattlers are preparing to host Santa Fe Prep Saturday at the Snake Pit in Tucumcari.

The Rattlers 11-2 and Lady Rattlers 3-7 will have their work cut out for them against the Santa Fe Prep Blue Griffins.

Coming off a first place win of the Citizens Bank Tournament held Dec. 31 at Texico, the Rattlers are marching into the game with a heightened confidence.

The Rattlers defeated the host Texico Wolverines 71-61 to clinch first place, having beat Muleshoe Texas, 61-45 in the first round and Farwell Texas, 48-44 in the second round to advance to the finals.

“The guys played great in the tournament,” said John Span, Rattlers head coach.

Span said playing against the Texas teams made the Rattlers adjust to different defensive presses and had them working to disrupt their opponents’ offensive transitions.

While the Rattlers had several players with high point scores, including John Paul Garcia who had 26 points against Texico, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done this early in the season, Span said.

Free throws is an areas in which Span would like to see improvement. During the championship game against the Wolverines, the Rattlers were 5-9 from the line, or 60 percent.

Their lowest completion percentage from the foul line was against Farwell 7-12 or 56 percent, the highest was against Muleshoe 9-15 or 75 percent.

The Rattlers should be shooting in the 80 percent range from the free throw line, Span said, adding that some games can be won and loss from the foul line.

“As we get further down the road playing against tougher teams those points from the free throw line can mean the difference between an extend season or an early end,” Span said.

Game time: 5 p.m., Saturday at the Snake pit.

The San Jon Coyotes 8-1 and Lady Coyotes 2-7, and the Logan Longhorns 7-2 and Lady Longhorns 7-2 will compete starting Tuesday at the Eastern Plains Athletic Conference (EPAC) basketball tournament at Melrose and Eastern New Mexico University in Portales.

“We are looking forward to this tournament,” said Randy Robertson, Longhorns head coach.

Robertson said the biggest advantage this tournament will have for the Longhorns is competition against varsity teams. In the past few tournaments, he said, the Longhorns have played against junior varsity squads.

While that has benefited the younger players, he said, the upper classmen have not been pressured to improve and their ranking is also affected.

“We have seen all the teams before that will be competing in this tournament,” Robertson said. “We know to expect strong play from all the teams and look forward to the challenge.”

The Eastern Plains Athletic Conference (EPAC) basketball tournament begins Tuesday in Melrose.

Here is the schedule:

(Seeds in parentheses)

BOYS

At Melrose

Tuesday

Game 1: (9) Tatum vs. (8) Grady, 3:30 p.m., new gym

Game 2: (6) Floyd vs. (3) Melrose, 5 p.m., old gym

Game 3: (5) Dora vs. (4) San Jon, 6:30 p.m., new gym

Game 4: (10) Clovis JV vs. (7) Fort Sumner, 8 p.m., old gym

Wednesday

Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. (1) Logan, 6:30 p.m., new gym

Game 6: (2) Texico vs. Game 4 winner, 8 p.m., new gym

Thursday

Game 7: Game 3 loser vs. Game 1 loser, 4:45 p.m., new gym

Game 8: Game 4 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 6:30 p.m., old gym

At Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU), Portales

Friday

Game 9: Game 8 loser vs. Game 7 loser, 10:45 a.m.

Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 2:15 p.m. (winners semifinal)

Game 11: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 5:45 p.m. (winners semifinal)

Game 12: Game 6 loser vs. Game 5 loser, 9 a.m.

Saturday

Game 13: Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 12:30 p.m. (5th place)

Game 14: Game 10 loser vs. Game 11 loser, 4 p.m. (3rd place)

Game 15: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 8 p.m. (championship)

GIRLS

At Melrose

Tuesday

Game 1: (9) Floyd vs. (8) Grady, 3:30 p.m., old gym

Game 2: (6) Dora vs. (3) Melrose, 5 p.m., new gym

Game 3: (5) Logan vs. (4) Elida, 6:30 p.m., old gym

Game 4: (10) San Jon vs. (7) Fort Sumner, 8 p.m., new gym

Wednesday

Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. (1) Tatum, 4:45 p.m., new gym

Game 6: (2) Texico vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 p.m., old gym

Thursday

Game 7: Game 3 loser vs. Game 1 loser, 4:45 p.m., old gym

Game 8: Game 4 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 6:30 p.m., new gym

At ENMU, Portales

Friday

Game 9: Game 6 loser vs. Game 5 loser, 9 a.m.

Game 10: Game 8 loser vs. Game 7 loser, 12:30 p.m.

Game 11: Game 6 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m. (winners semifinal)

Game 12: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7:30 p.m. (winners semifinal)

Saturday

Game 13: Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 10:45 a.m. (5th place)

Game 14: Game 11 loser vs. Game 12 loser, 2:15 p.m. (3rd place)

Game 15: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 6 p.m. (championship)