Cavemen Host Clovis in District Inaugural

By Don Eskins

Down 13-7 to the Lovington Wildcats after first quarter play, the Cavemen basketball team turned on the jets in the second to outscore the Cats 20-5. The CHS surge put them out in front of Lovington 27-18 at the half.

Trading buckets with the Cats during third and fourth quarter action, CHS held on to cage the Lovington 47-40. The victory upped the Cavemen’s record to 12-6 on the year. The game took place in Carlsbad on Tuesday night, January 20.

Although losing, Lovington played the Cavemen much tougher than their first meeting this season. On January 13 in Lovington, CHS rolled over the Wildcats 69-32.

“Lovington had a good game plan for us this time. They trapped us a lot and jumped on us early to grab an 11-3 lead,” said Caveman head basketball coach John Zumbrun. “But our kids battled back, and once we got things going, we were in control for most of the game.”

Three Cavemen found their way to the bucket to register double-digit scoring nights for CHS. Leading the way for Carlsbad were Kevin Quarles, with 13 points; Shane Sullivan, with 12; and Zenas Huerta, with 11.

Note: The Cavemen vs. Chaparral game scheduled for Saturday, January 24, has been cancelled.

Cavemen Geared for District Play

Carlsbad High opens up conference play against the Clovis Wildcats in Carlsbad on Tuesday, January 27. The JVs will open play first at 4 p.m., with the varsity teams tipping off at 5:30 p.m.

Although Clovis is a dismal 9-8 on the year, coach Zumbrun said CHS fans shouldn’t pay much attention to their record.

“Clovis is a good basketball team. We certainly won’t be looking past them,” said the coach. “We’ve beaten some of the teams they’ve lost to this year, but they’ve beaten some of the teams we’ve lost to also. So, for us, that makes them a very capable ball club.

“Kicking off district play always gets teams fired up, so we know we’ll be getting Clovis’s best effort,” he said. “It will be an important game for us, so we hope to see a lot of support for our kids in the stands when we take the floor.”

The 2025-26 measuring stick for District 4/5A basketball teams appears to be showing lots of parity. If that proves to be the case, all four conference clubs should be legitimate contenders for this year’s district crown.

As of Wednesday, January 21, Carlsbad led all four district teams in the won-loss category. The 11th-ranked Cavemen stood at 12-6 on the year, while Hobbs, ranked sixth, was 12-7; Roswell, ranked 13th, was 11-9; and Clovis, ranked 20th, was 9-8.

Parity in District 4/5A can mean only one thing.

“The race for this year’s conference title is going to be wide open,” said Zumbrun. “With no clear-cut favorite, it’s going to be a dog fight for everybody.”

Cavemen Basketball Roundup

After winning 11 of their previous 12 games, the Cavemen found the going a bit rough in the City of Angels. Although playing tough, Carlsbad, behind a 10-point night from Tanner Cornum, fell prey to the Las Cruces High School Bulldawgs 46-33 on January 16.

On January 17, the Cavemen dropped their second game in a row to the Centennial Hawks. Despite double-digit scoring efforts from Dryden Preece, 11, and Sanyika Green, 10, CHS fell to the Birds, 62-45.

On Tuesday, January 20, the Cavemen got back to their winning ways by thumping the Lovington Wildcats in Carlsbad, 47-40. Tops on the scoring chart were Kevin Quarles, with 13; Shane Sullivan, with 12; and Zenas Huerta, with 11.

CHS Game Recaps:

CHS vs. Lovington- Jan. 20

LHS 13 5 11 11 40

CHS 7 20 13 7 47

Leaders: Scoring: Kevin Quarles, 13; Shane Sullivan, 12; Zenas Huerta, 11; Maliq Mills, 5; Sanyika Green, 5; Dryden Preece, 1; Rebounds: S. Sullivan, 9; D. Preece, 4; M. Mills, 4; K. Quarles, 3, Z. Huerta, 3; S. Green, 3; Assists: Z. Huerta, 5; D. Preece, 4; Steals: Z. Huerta, 2; D. Preece, 2; S. Green, 1; Miles Stephens, 1; 2-pt. FGs: 12-17-70.6%; 3-pt. FGs: 5-26-19.2%; FTs: 8-15-53.3%. (Hudl Digital Stats)

CHS @ Centennial- Jan. 17

CHS 9 12 12 12 45

Cent 18 15 13 16 62

Leaders: Scoring: Dryden Preece, 11; Sanyika Green, 10; Kevin Quarles, 8; Shane Sullivan, 6; Maliq Mills, 3; Frankie Martinez, 3; Zenas Huerta, 2; Mario De Leon, 2; Rebounds: S. Sullivan, 9; S. Green, 3; T. Cornum, 3; M. Mills, 2; Assists: Z. Huerta, 3; K. Quarles, 2; Steals: K. Quarles, 2; S. Sullivan, 2; 2-pt. FGs: 11-19-57.9%; 3-pt. FGs: 6-21-28.6%; FTs: 5-11-45.5%. (Hudl Digital Stats)

CHS @ Las Cruces- Jan. 16

CHS 3 6 10 14 33

LCH 11 11 13 11 46

Leaders: Scoring: Tanner Cornum, 10; Zenas Huerta, 6; Dryden Preece, 5; Shane Sullivan, 3; Sanyika Green, 3; Maliq Mills, 2; Kevin Quarles, 2; Mario De Leon, 2; Rebounds: S. Sullivan, 5; Z. Huerta, 4; K. Quarles, 3; M. De Leon, 2; D. Preece, 2; T. Cornum, 2; Assists: T. Cornum, 2; K. Quarles, 1; Z. Huerta, 1; S. Green, 1; Steals: T. Cornum, 2; Z. Huerta, 2; K. Quarles, 1; S. Green, 1; D. Preece, 1; S. Sullivan, 1; Blocks: S. Sullivan, 2; D. Preece, 1; 2-pt. FGs: 8-24-33.3%; 3-pt. FGs: 4-19-21.1%; FTs: 5-6-83.3%. (Hudl Digital Stats)