Aiming for a return to the Class 3A boys basketball playoffs, Clifton Cubs build momentum with strong start to season, taking second place in Hamilton tourney
Winning seven of their last nine games played over a 10-day period, the Clifton Cub boys basketball team built on a third place finish at the Dublin Tournament recently by winning three straight at the highly-competitive Hamilton Tournament before losing in the championship game last weekend.
Facing Class 4A Lampasas in the title tilt, the Cubs fell behind early, battled back to take a lead into the fourth period before the Badgers responded in the final frame to take home the trophy. In the championship game against Lampasas, junior Jonah Payne led Clifton with 19 points, followed by senior Jacob Wells with 11 points and junior Ray Ochoa with 10.
“We had a lead going into the fourth, but we had a hard time stopping their big kid the entire game,” Clifton boys basketball head coach Tom Daniel said. “He kind of wore us down, we didn’t have much of an answer for him. We dug ourselves a hole early and fought back to take the lead. But we had to fight back so hard, we kind of ran out of gas in the end. They’re a good 4A team, and we had our chances to win. But we didn’t quite get the job done.”
The Cubs (11-3) stormed into the championship game on a roll, opening the tournament with a hard-fought 61-55 win over Goldthwaite before knocking off Troy, 63-19 and host Hamilton, 68-41. In the victory over Goldthwaite, Ochoa and Well led Clifton with 15 points each, followed by junior Joaquin De La Hoya with 14. Wells tossed in a season-high 24 points against Troy, followed by Payne with 12 and De La Hoya with 10, while Ochoa and Wells led the way in scoring against Hamilton with 16 points each.
“It was a really good tournament,” Daniel said. “We played well in most of the tournament. We played great against Goldthwaite all four quarters. In the other games, we played well for the majority of the game.”
With two big tournaments behind them, the Cubs slow down the pace this week with two games before taking 12 days off for Christmas. After traveling to Troy to take on the Trojans at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Clifton will play host to Waco Rapoport at 6:15 p.m. Friday.
“Against Troy, we want to see improvement from the last time we played them,” Daniel said. “And then, we have a home game Friday against Rapoport, who beat us last year. So, we definitely want to change that this year. They want to play fast, but so do we. It should be a fun game to watch.
“The kids are doing a really nice job. They’re playing well as a team, we’re starting to score a few more points recently, which is exciting. I know what we are capable of defensively, so if we can consistently score 60-something points like we have recently, then we will be tough to beat for sure.”
Playing in the competitive Dublin Tournament Nov. 30-Dec. 2, the Cubs won three of four games to take home the third place trophy. After opening the tournament with a solid 48-39 victory over Brady, the Cubs saw their four-game winning streak snapped as Class 5A Stephenville handed Clifton a 52-42 loss. But the Cubs rebounding for resounding back-to-back wins over Tolar, 49-28, and Goldthwaite, 50-30, to capture third place. In the tournament closing victory over Goldthwaite, Ochoa led Clifton with 13 points, followed by De La Hoya with 12.
“We still have some things we need to work on offensively, mostly just all being on the same page,” Daniel said. “When we are doing the right things, we are creating opportunities for ourselves. Tournaments are good because they put you in some tough spots. And I want to see how we do in tough spots.
“I love tournaments because we are able to see different teams that we don’t usually play. Everybody we play does something a little bit different. And the thing I really liked about the Dublin Tournament is that every team we played was a good test for us. There wasn’t a weak team in that tournament.”
Starting the season by winning five of their first six games, the Cubs opened the 2023-24 campaign with a hard-fought 58- 50 home victory over Austin Veritas before dropping the next game to Waco Live Oak, 70-57. In the opener, junior Tristan Hammond led the Cubs with 18 points, followed by Ochoa with 16 and junior Maddox Hinojosa with 11. In the loss to Live Oak, senior Jacob Wells topped the Cubs with 12 points, followed by Hinojosa with 10, and junior Jonah Payne with nine.
After getting a chance to work out the full roster together, the Cubs embarked on a four-game winning streak, beginning with a 65-58 victory over Class 4A Hillsboro, followed by a convincing 57-44 win over Bosque County counterpart Valley Mills going into the Thanksgiving break.
Against Hillsboro, De La Hoya led Clifton with 16 points, followed by Payne with 13. Payne led the Cubs with 10 points against Valley Mills, followed by Wells, Ochoa and Hinojosa with eight points each. Following a seven-day layoff, the Cubs picked up right where they left off with a commanding 68-42 victory over Rogers
Following a seven-day layoff, the Cubs picked up right where they left off with a commanding 68-42 victory over Rogers Nov. 28 at the Clifton High School Gymnasium.
“We’ve gained a lot of experience since last year,” Daniel said. “It shows that these guys I have now have a year of varsity experience. With that experience and with those new guys that are getting into the mix, I like our chances to get in the playoffs this year.”
Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
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