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Coming off three straight crucial District 17-3A victories, Clifton Cubs surge into position, poised to challenge for first district crown since 2005

By winning five of their last six games, the Clifton Cubs have surged to within a fraction of the top in the District 17-3A standings. And after clinching their third trip to the postseason in the last four seasons, the Cubs head into the home stretch of the season in search for their first district title since 2005.

Carrying a three-game winning streak into the final week of the regular season, the Cubs (5-2 in district, 20-9 overall) host winless Waco Harmony (0-7, 0-17) at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday night in the first of three straight home games at the Clifton High School Gymnasium to close out the regular season.

With their third playoff berth in the last four seasons already secured, the Cubs will play the final two games of the season with just about everything else on the line, beginning with a district title showdown with the West Trojans (6-1, 18-9) at 6:15 p.m. Friday before hosting the arch-rival Whitney Wildcats (4-3, 10-16) at 6:15 p.m. on Senior Night Feb. 11

“We really want to win a district championship, so the West game is really huge for us this week,” Clifton boys basketball head coach Tom Daniel said. “This is a big week for us, for sure. We’re just trying to get better each day. Friday’s going to be a big one.”

After closing out the first round of district with a resounding 77-56 victory over Whitney Jan. 24, Clifton found itself in a three-way tie for second place in district, But the Cubs maintained momentum and took over sole possession of the runner-up spot with back-to-back key wins over the Troy Trojans (4-3, 16-10), 54-51, at home last Tuesday followed by a convincing 64-53 road victory over the McGregor Bulldogs (2-5, 10-17) last Friday night.

Against Troy Tuesday night, the Cubs trailed for the better part of three quarters in the back-and-forth battle before Clifton finished strong to surge ahead in the fourth.

“It was a huge win for us,” Daniel said. “It wasn’t always pretty, but the kids competed until the end and hit some big shots. Tristan hit those two free throws to give a three-point lead which really sealed the deal.”

Senior Maddox Hinojosa led the Cubs with 14 points, followed by senior Ray Ochoa with 11, while seniors Tristan Hammond and Kyle Rogers tosses in 10 points apiece.

“There aren’t going to be any easy games the rest of the way,” Daniel said. “McGregor on Friday is going to be a tough test. We have to be ready to play for 32 minutes.”

Needing a win on the road to clinch a playoff berth, the Cubs shook off a slow start against a highly-motivated McGregor squad on Senior Night to walk away with a solid 11-point victory.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a surprising 18-13 first quarter lead before hanging onto a six-point advantage at halftime. But the Cubs outscored McGregor, 37-18, in the second half to run away with the clutch win.

“We did a good job of turning it around, even towards the end of the first half when we showed a little bit of life to stay in it,” Daniel said. “Then in the second half, we jumped out on them. It was McGregor’s Senior Night, they were ready to play. They played with a ton of energy, and we didn’t really match that energy early. But we sure did late in the first half and the entire second half.”

While senior Diego Rodriguez hit three shots from three-point range, Ochoa led the Cubs with 16 points, followed by Rodriguez with 12. Hinojosa and Rogers tossed in another 11 points each, while senior Joaquin De la Hoya score eight and Hammond added six.

“They showed how much they wanted it in the second half. They turned it on, played well together and played really hard. When you do that, you typically get good results.”

With seven seniors leading the way, the Cubs remain focused on claiming a district championship and capturing postseason wins.

“They’re great kids, and they give it everything they have,” Daniel said. “I just want them to continue to have success because they deserve it. Making the playoffs needs to be the expectation every season, and these guys are ready to roll.”

Although the first round of District 17-3A competition produced mixed results, the Cubs headed into the second round on a positive note in prime position to make a run at their third postseason berth in the last four seasons.

Led by Ochoa and Hinojosa with 19 points apiece, Clifton closed out the first round with an impressive 77-56 road victory over Whitney to climb into a three-way tie for second place behind the district-leading West.

“I’m really pleased with the way we played against Whitney,” Daniel said. “The guys are competing well, but we’re still a work in progress. We definitely have some things to work on, especially on offensively. But defensively, the guys are getting after it. And when you compete, you always have a chance.”

Against Whitney, the Cubs jumped out to a commanding 29-14 first quarter lead and never looked back as Clifton enjoyed a 23-point advantage going into the final frame. Behind Ochoa and Hinojosa, De la Hoya tossed in 11 points, followed by Rogers with 10.

“We know that Whitney is talented, but they’re pretty young,” Daniel said. “So it’s impressive that they’ve been winning for a group that has a bunch of sophomores playing. There’s really not a night off in this district.

“I like how we’re playing as a group. I feel like each game we have a different leading scorer, and there have been several games where we’ve had multiple guys in double figures. Every guy is a threat. And even the guys who aren’t scoring a lot are setting up their teammates.

“I don’t feel like our guys care about the individual things, they just want to play together and win basketball games. It’s pretty exciting when you have a group like that.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS