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Lady Rattlers take district loss

A shooting slump in the second half proved fatal to the Tucumcari girls basketball team during a 34-23 district loss Thursday to New Mexico Military Institute.

The Lady Colts led just 14-11 at intermission but seized control with an 18-6 scoring run in the third and part of the fourth quarters when the Lady Rattlers could hardly buy a field goal.

"We couldn't throw the ball into the ocean tonight," Tucumcari coach Gary Hittson said. "Offensively, we just stood around."

The loss left the young and inexperienced Tucumcari squad (0-8) still searching for its first win of the abbreviated season.

Caylee Benavidez led Tucumcari with 11 points.

Tucumcari point guard Alexus Lafferty, one of the team's top scorers, didn't score until late in the fourth quarter.

"Alexus was upset because her shot wasn't falling, but you have nights like that," Hittson said. "The way you get out of a slump is to keep shooting."

Despite Tucumcari's offensive struggles, its defense kept it in the game during the first half. Hittson said his team's defense could have been better, though.

"We looked good on defense at times. Other times, we got lost," he said.

NMMI (2-3) was led by Kamryn Ryan's 15 points. OnyaLenee Rushing added eight points - many of them when the Lady Colts pulled away in the second half.

"We did not play a perfect game," NMMI coach Marisha Olesinski said. "But I think the girls really wanted to win a district game. There are a lot of things we need to work on. We missed too many open shots, too many easy shots. We also needed to take care of the ball better, because there were too many turnovers.

"Tucumcari, they are very aggressive; they are a good team," Olesinski added. "They don't give up."

Dexter 72, Tucumcari 30

The Lady Rattlers hung tough in the first quarter, but the Lady Demons seized control with a 22-7 second period en route to a 72-30 district victory Aug. 13 at Dexter.

Lafferty scored 15 points to lead Tucumcari, and Benavidez added 11.

For Dexter, Zoey Stewart scored 25 points and Chelsea Torres added 24 points.

Dexter improved to 5-0 overall.

Santa Rosa 42, Tucumcari 36

A bad night at the free-throw line probably doomed the Lady Rattlers during a 42-36 loss April 12 against Santa Rosa at the Snake Pit.

Tucumcari went 9-for-29 from the foul line during the game, including 5-for-15 in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Lady Lions went 9-for-15 from the foul line in the final period, fueling a 19-10 scoring run to fuel their comeback victory.

Tucumcari also saw three starters, including Lafferty, foul out during the game.

Benavidez scored 21 points to lead Tucumcari.

Santa Rosa, which ended the week with a 3-2 record, was lead by Darlyn Pacheco's 12 points.

 
 
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