Rattlers tie for second in standings

The Tucumcari boys basketball team pulled itself into a tie for second place in the district standings with two victories last week, including a come-from-behind 63-61 home victory Friday over New Mexico Military Institute.

The Rattlers, who trailed much of Friday's game, rallied with a 7-1 run to take a 44-40 late in the third quarter and added a 9-2 run early in the fourth for a 53-46 advantage - one they would not relinquish.

Jesus Ramos led the Rattlers with 19 points, going 10-for-15 from the free-throw line. Andrew Henderson-Clark added 12 points. Tucumcari went 21-for-29 from the foul line, while the Colts were a shakier 11-for-20.

Tucumcari improved to 8-13 overall and 2-2 in Class 3A's District 4. NMMI dropped to 11-7, 2-2. Tularosa (16-6) holds a 3-0 record in the district after defeating Dexter, winless in district play, by 64-36 score Friday.

Tucumcari coach John Span mostly praised his squad for its performance Friday, especially with reducing its mistakes. The Rattlers committed 38 turnovers during a close win against Dexter earlier in the week. On Friday, they committed 21.

"We played as a team the whole game, and that's a good team over there," he said, referring to NMMI. "We hit some free throws down the stretch. We did a much better job not getting all excited and turning the ball over like we do. We were a little more in control."

That said, Span ticked off a few mental mistakes by his team in the fourth quarter, such as a lack of boxing out for rebounds while NMMI shot free throws and a rushed 3-point attempt when his players were trying to burn the clock.

"It could have been an easier win," he said. "We've got to have the kids adjust to the situation."

A key to Tucumcari's victory was NMMI strong forward Clay Stroh getting into foul trouble early and finally fouling out early in the fourth quarter. This enabled the Rattlers to pound the ball inside and draw more fouls.

"We wanted to make sure we got good shots," Span said. "We need to attack (the basket), and that's how we get to the foul line."

Colts coach Connor Williamson lamented his most dominant inside player riding the bench because of fouls.

"We're not very deep (with big players), obviously," he said.

Tucumcari trailed 39-37 midway through the third quarter until Henderson-Clark made a three-point play, Dominic Jasper scored after an offensive rebound and Ramos made two free throws during the 7-1 run.

Early in the fourth quarter for Tucumcari, Robbie Hartmann made three free throws and a 3-pointer, Henderson-Clark converted two free throws and Alexander Lujan made one of two free throws after an NMMI technical foul. That gave Tucumcari a 53-46 lead.

The Colts rallied to within 60-58 with less than a minute left. Ramos made three of four free throws on Tucumcari's next two possessions to make it 63-58.

NMMI's Ricardo Mata, who led his team with 17 points, made a 3-pointer with a few seconds left, but the buzzer sounded before the Rattlers even needed to make an inbounds pass.

Williamson said his Colts team missed too many shots near the basket throughout the game.

"We got open shots; we just didn't knock them down," he said. "If we had one more, we would have one the game."

Tucumcari 67, Dexter 65

The Rattlers won an important district game Wednesday despite committing 38 turnovers during a 67-65 win at Dexter.

Ramos led the Rattlers with 21 points, and Span praised Ty Lampkin, who went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line and added 13 points.

"That was huge," Span said of Lampkin's performance from the foul line. "We were fortunate to win."

Tucumcari had a 20-point lead in the second quarter, but Dexter whittled that to nine by intermission and tied it in the second half. Overall, the Rattlers went 25-for-35 from the free throw line to preserve the win.

Dexter fell to 3-19.