Clifton Cubs begin District 17-3A battle by dethroning defending champion Whitney in dominating win; visit West and host Maypearl this week
Already coming into District 17-3A competition owning the best record built during tournaments and non-district games, the Clifton Cubs established themselves as the team to beat by knocking off the defending district champion Whitney Wildcats in the district opener last week.
But the district race should be a wide-open battle as Keene and Maypearl opened with victories, while Grandview and West are expected to contend.
“We were excited about opening district this week, and I was happy with the results,” Clifton boys basketball head coach Tom Daniel said. “We had three days to practice to get ready for Whitney, and they came in as the defending district champions. We played the way we’re capable, and it was a great way to open district on our home court.”
Jumping out to a quick 18-10 first quarter lead, the Cubs built a 30-17 advantage going into halftime. Clifton (1-0 in district, 15-8 overall) put the game away by outscoring Whitney, 11-2, in the third period before coasting to victory. In the win over the Wildcats (0-1, 6-12), junior Ray Ochoa led the Cubs with 13 points, followed by senior Jacob Wells with 11, junior Maddox Hinojosa with eight and senior Andres Devora with five.
Riding a three-game winning streak, the Cubs will hit the road to take on the West Trojans (0-1, 5-12) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday before returning home to host the Maypearl Panthers (1-0, 11-13) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. West opened district with a 60-45 loss to Maypearl last Friday, extending the Trojan losing streak to five straight, while Keene knocked off Grandview, 64-54.
Despite being a little out of sync returning from the 12-day holiday break, the Cubs rediscovered their winning ways with back-to-back victories in four days in preparation of the District 17-3A opener.
Snapping a five-game losing streak, the Cubs finished strong to post a hard-fought 49-46 road victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs, before building some momentum with a solid 48-37 win over the Rio Vista Eagles at home.
Sinking five shots from three-point range, Wells led the Cubs with 19 points in the win over Rio Vista, followed by junior Joaquin De La Hoya and Ochoa with six each as well as Devora and junior Tristan Hammond with five apiece.
Against Hamilton, junior Hinojosa led the Cubs with 15 points, followed by Devora with 11 playing for the first time this season coming off a knee injury suffered during football season.
“Snapping the losing streak was big for us before opening district,” Daniel said. “We played well, but Hamilton made just about every shot they put up. For us, it was good to get Andres back from his injury, and he played well.”
Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
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