TARGET AT THE TOP

Holding share of first in District 17-3A boys basketball race, Clifton Cubs face key first round battles with back-to-back home games against Keene, Grandview

Posting back-to-back wins and remaining undefeated in District 17-3A boys basketball competition, the Clifton Cubs have clearly established themselves as the district’s team to beat. But after winning three straight in dominating fashion, the Cubs continue the battle in the first round of league play with big targets on their backs.

Extending their winning streak to five straight, the Cubs battled to a hard-fought 51-37 road victory over West last Tuesday before notching their third straight district win by knocking off Maypearl, 55-39, in convincing fashion last Friday.

And certainly, their front-runner status will be put to test this week as the Cubs (3-0 in district, 17-8 overall) host the co-leading Keene Chargers (3-0, 13-12) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Clifton High School gymnasium before playing back-to-back home games by facing the third place Grandview Zebras (2-1, 12-12) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

“You couldn’t ask for anything more at this point,” Clifton boys basketball head coach Tom Daniel said. “It’s good, and it’s better than having a loss or two. But we need to keep on winning games, one game at a time. But we have a couple of tough ones this week. The good news is we get them both at home, and the fans have just been awesome. The kids are really excited, and I think they’re ready to go.”

Opening last week with a road game at West (0-3, 5-14), the Cubs jumped out to a commanding 18-6 first quarter lead. But the Trojans battled back in the second period and tied the contest in the third before Clifton surged to the win as senior Jacob Wells tossed in a team-high 16 points followed by junior Maddox Hinojosa with 13, junior Ray Ochoa with eight and junior Jonah Payne with seven.

“They were tough, they’re a scrappy team,” Daniel said. “They actually tied it up midway through the third quarter. Diego Rodriguez hit a big three, then Jacob Wells hit a big three right after that to finish out the third quarter. Then we went on a little run to extend the lead out to double digits.

“We need that run, and in the fourth quarter we did a good job of making our free throws and getting stops. Our defense is a little ahead of our offense right now. Defensively, I’m pretty pleased with how we’ve been playing.”

With Maypearl (1-2, 11-15) coming off a disappointing loss to Grandview, the Cubs jumped out to an early six-point lead before carrying a commanding 30-13 advantage into halftime. Although the Panthers rallied for an 18-point third period, Clifton responded to hold Maypearl off for the win. Wells led the Cubs with 18 points, followed by Ochoa with 12, Hinojosa with 10, and junior Joaquin De la Hoya with nine.

“That was a big win for us,” Daniel said. “They should have been 2-0 coming in to our game. They had a nine-point lead going into the fourth at home against Grandview. But we did a good job of getting ahead of them early.

“We came out with so much energy. We were up by 12 points before Maypearl got on the board. And honestly, that energy lasted throughout the game. They played so hard. We built a 16-point halftime lead, and we didn’t let up. It was great.”

Already coming into District 17-3A competition owning the best record built during tournaments and non-district games, the Cubs established themselves as the team to beat by knocking off the defending district champion Whitney Wildcats, 47-28, in the district opener Jan. 12.

Jumping out to a quick 18-10 first quarter lead, the Cubs built a 30-17 advantage going into halftime. Clifton put the game away by outscoring Whitney, 11-2, in the third period before coasting to victory. In the win over the Wildcats (0-3, 6-14), Ochoa led the Cubs with 13 points, followed by Wells with 11, Hinojosa with eight and senior Andres Devora with five.

“I didn’t really expect that, and I know they will be ready the next time we play them,” Daniel said. “Our guys played with so much energy that game. It was really exciting to watch them play. We built a 20-point lead and kept it that way. “I didn’t expect that. I felt like if we played the way we are capable, we’d win the game. If we continue to do that, there’s really exciting things to come, for sure.”