Cavegirls Knock Off Wildcats, 26-24

Coach Matt Enloe Logs 100th Win

By Don Eskins

Down but not out, following a 70-24 loss to the talent-heavy and top-ranked Hobbs Eagles, the Carlsbad Cavegirls rallied to knock off the Clovis Wildcats 26-24 in Carlsbad on Tuesday night, February 10.

Trailing at the half, 13-5, the Cavegirls regrouped to tighten up their defense and outscore the bewildered Cats 21-11 over the final two periods to pick up their 11th win of the season, versus 13 losses.

"Holding Clovis to just 24 points was pretty awesome," said Cavegirl head coach Matt Enloe. "Scoring just 26 ourselves, not so much.

"Getting off to a slow start against the Wildcats was a story we're all too familiar with this year. We've struggled to score points," he said. "But the girls dug deep, played some great defense over the final two periods, and found a way to get the ball in the bucket to get the 26-24 win."

During the final eight minutes of the game, a period in which the Cavegirls outscored Clovis 12-3, Carlsbad got five points from Serenity Medrano, while Serena Carrasco and Mia Payanes each added three. Hayden Brose, who led the Cavegirls' effort in the third with five points, added one.

With the victory, CHS earned a share of second place in District 4/5A alongside Clovis. Both the Cavegirls and Wildcats are 2-2 in conference play.

"Even though it's been a tough year for us in the win column, these girls have never quit battling," said Enloe. "I couldn't be more proud of a group of girls."

But there was more to celebrate on Tuesday night than just a 26-24 victory over Clovis. The win also marked the 100th career victory for coach Enloe.

"It was pretty exciting. At the beginning of the year, I had 89, only 11 shy of 100," he said. "Even though this year has been a real grind for us, our girls finally pulled it off, getting our 11th win of the season against Clovis to put me at 100.

"Kind of a milestone; collecting 100 wins has been a personal goal for me. It's a great feeling," said the Cavegirl coach. "Reaching 100 with these girls, who have worked so hard and battled through so much adversity this year, made it special."

Enloe began his coaching stint at CHS in 2020, a year in which his girls went 7-3 during an abbreviated COVID season. Since then, he has amassed a career record of 100-53.

On Friday, February 13, the Cavegirls will be in the Alien City to take on the Roswell Coyotes. On January 30, CHS edged the 8-16 Otes 42-41. The varsity teams will tip off at 7 p.m., and the JVs at 5:30 p.m.

On Friday, February 6, Carlsbad fell to the Hobbs Eagles 70-24. Top scorers for CHS were Serenity Medrano with 10 and Mia Payanes with six.

Cavegirls vs. Clovis, Feb. 10

Clovis 5 8 8 3 24

C-bad 3 2 9 12 26

Leaders: Serenity Medrano, 10; Hayden Brose, 6; Serena Carrasco, 6; Mia Payanes, 3; Faith Kluesner, 1; 2-pt. FGs: 3; 3-pt. FGs: 4; FTs: 6-10-60%. (CHS Stats)

Cavegirls @ Hobbs, Feb. 6

CHS 2 9 9 4 24

HHS 19 22 20 9 70

Scoring: Serenity Medrano, 10; Kendra Ortega, 6; Mia Payanes, 5; Juliette Licon, 3; 2-pt. FGs: 8-15-53.3%; 3-pt. FGs: 2-8-25%; FTs: 2-2 100%. (Hudl Digital Stats)