Highland Slips Past Cavemen 51-50

By Don Eskins

The Carlsbad Cavemen battled the Highland Hornets for four tough quarters in Albuquerque on Monday, December 1. However, in the end, Highland prevailed as they slipped past CHS by the narrowest of margins, 51-50, to pick up the win.

The Cavemen jumped on the Hornets early in the contest, outscoring them 15-12 during the first quarter and 18-10 during the second, to grab a 33-22 halftime lead. However, the Hornets bounced back to win the second half 29-17 en route to the victory.

The loss dropped CHS to 0-2 on the season.

In their effort to upend the Hornets, three Cavemen scored in the double digits. Leading the way was Shane Sullivan with 19 points, Zenas Huerta with 17, and Tanner Cornum with 11.

“We opened up the new season against two very tough teams, no doubt about it, and our kids have battled hard,” said Cavemen head coach John Zumbrun. “To our kids’ credit, we’ve been in both games right up until the end. We just haven’t been finishing them.”

The Cavemen opened up the 2025-26 season against the El Paso Eldorado Aztecs on Tuesday, November 25. El Dorado, who had already played five games, entered the clash at 3-2.

Despite El Paso’s five-game head start, the Cavemen almost upset the Aztecs before falling 57-52.

Leading scorers for the Cavemen were Zenas Huerta with 15 and Shane Sullivan with 14.

The free-throw line definitely played a major factor in the outcome of the game. The Aztecs made good on 14 of 20 charity tosses, the Cavemen three of five.

Up next for the Cavemen is the Artesia Tournament of Champions. The event opened on Thursday, December 4, and will run through Friday and Saturday, December 5-6.

The Cavemen were scheduled to open up play on Thursday against the Rio Rancho Rams.

“They’re definitely one of the top teams in New Mexico, so it’s going to be a very difficult game,” said Zumbrun. “To get a win against the Rams, we’re going to have to play hard for four full quarters and then finish it at the end.”

Note: The Cavemen have lost two games by a total of just six points!

Cavemen @ Highland

CHS 15 18 08 09 50

HHS 12 10 11 18 51

Cavemen scoring: Shane Sullivan, 19; Zenus Huerta, 17; Tanner Cornum, 11; and Mario DeLeon, three. FTs 5-10-50%.

Cavemen @ El Dorado

CHS 20 07 12 13 52

EHS 14 15 13 15 57

Cavemen scoring: Zenus Huerta, 15; Shane Sullivan, 14; Tanner Cornum, six; Maliq Mills, five; Sanyika Green, five; Mario DeLeon, four; and Kevin Quarles, three. FTs 3-5-60%.