Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The Tucumcari boys basketball team won the consolation championship at Mighty Lion Basketball Classic tournament in Santa Rosa with a 60-45 victory Saturday over Mora.
The Rattlers (6-7) went 2-1 at the tourney, losing only to Class 2A power Rehoboth Christian in the opening round.
Luis Archuleta earned all-tournament honors for the Rattlers after scoring a total of 86 points in the three games.
Against the Rangers, Tucumcari took control in the second half, outscoring them 34-20.
“Our defense was the key in that,” THS coach Gary Hittson said. “And we ran the floor really well.”
Archuleta scored 23 points to lead the Rattlers. Jordan Rincones added 15 points and Daymion Urioste 14.
Mora fell to 7-7.
Hittson said his team will need to work on a few things before its upcoming games.
“Our free-throw shooting and turnovers were horrible” throughout the tournament, he said.
That said, Hittson said he was feeling optimistic after what his team did at the tournament.
“Getting ready to go into district play, it was encouraging,” he said.
Tucumcari 79, Gateway Christian 53
The Rattlers rebounded in the consolation bracket with a 79-53 victory Friday over Gateway Christian in the Santa Rosa tourney.
Tucumcari excelled from the outset, leading 14-4 after the first quarter, 35-12 at halftime and 53-27 after three quarters.
“Again, our defense stepped up,” Hittson said.
Archuleta also gained a hot hand, scoring 36 points mostly on midrange shots to lead the Rattlers. Urioste and Kamren Apodaca each added 15 points.
Gateway fell to 5-7.
Rehoboth Christian 82, Tucumcari 42
Tucumcari found itself overwhelmed by state-ranked Rehoboth Christian 82-42 in the first round Thursday of the Mighty Lion Basketball Classic.
The Lynx made 15 shots from 3-point range during the contest and lead 46-22 at halftime.
“I don’t think they missed a three,” Hittson said. “And a lot of those threes weren’t wide-open; they had a hand in their face. It was unbelievable. We changed our defense three or four times, and it didn’t matter.”
Hittson said his team also showed “a lot of rust” Thursday after not playing for nearly a month.
Archuleta scored 27 points to lead the Rattlers. Urioste added 13 points.
The Lynx, ranked fifth in Class 2A by MaxPreps.com, improved to 10-3.
Rehoboth Christian went on to lose 56-48 to defending Class 1A champion Fort Sumner in the tournament’s championship game Saturday.