Hobbs Eagles Slip Past CHS

kmarksteiner0
Feb 25
2 min read

By Don Eskins

Grabbing this year’s District 4/5A regular season title was just eight minutes away for Carlsbad High in their winner-take-all collision with the Hobbs Eagles on Friday night, February 20.

Leading 31-28 as the fourth and final quarter of play got underway in the Eagles’ iconic Ralph Tasker Arena, the Cavemen needed only to trade buckets with the Birds to claim this year’s conference crown.

But, as all Cavemen fans now know, it wasn’t to be, as the Eagles rallied to outscore Carlsbad 12-7 down the stretch to steal the game—and conference title—40-38.

It was a tough loss for CHS, who had beaten the Eagles for a conference title only twice during the previous 54 years.

The Cavemen had a lights-out shooting performance inside the arc. On the night, they made good on 11-of-19 two-point shots, 57.9%, and were a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity line.

However, outside the arc, a spot where CHS has lived or died throughout most of the season, they hit only four of 17 attempts, just 23.5 percent.

The loss dropped the 10th-ranked Cavemen to 17-8 on the season and 4-2 in conference play. Seventh-ranked Hobbs, as District Champions, finished regular season play at 17-9 and were 5-1 in district.

Senior Shane Sullivan made his way to the bucket for 15 points to lead all CHS scorers. Second on Carlsbad’s scoresheet were Maliq Mills and Dryden Preece, each with six.

Cavemen @ Hobbs, Feb. 20

CHS 9 11 11 7 38

HHS 13 7 8 12 40

Leaders: Scoring: Shane Sullivan, 15; Dryden Preece, 6; Maliq Mills, 6; Kevin Quarles, 4; Zenas Huerta, 4; Sanyika Green, 3; Rebounds: S. Sullivan, 5; D. Preece, 5; Z. Huerta, 4; K. Quarles, 3; S. Green, 3; T. Cornum, 2; Assists: S. Sullivan, 3; Z. Huerta, 2; K. Quarles, 2; S. Green, 1; Steals: S. Sullivan, 2; Z. Huerta, 1; D. Preece, 1; 2-pt. FGs: 11-19-57.9%; 3-pt. FGs: 4-17-23.5%; Effective FGs: 47.2%; FTs: 4-4-100%. (Hudl Digital Stats)

District 4/5A Tourney News

As a result of their 40-38 loss to Hobbs, the Cavemen were seeded second for the District 4/5A tournament and were scheduled to take on the winner of the Clovis-versus-Roswell first-round game in a semi-final round matchup in Carlsbad on Thursday, February 24.

Due to a Wednesday, February 23 deadline, results of that game will be posted in the March 6 edition of the Carlsbad Local.

With a victory in the semis, the Cavemen would take on the Hobbs Eagles in the conference tournament championship final in Hobbs on Saturday, February 26, at 3 p.m.

NMAA’s Selection Sunday

The NMAA’s selection Sunday, the day earmarked to seed New Mexico prep basketball teams for the 2025-26 state tournament, will take place on Sunday, March 1, at 5 p.m.

Sixteen teams will be seeded for the tournament, with the top eight serving as host sites for the state playoffs first-round games on Friday, March 6, for girls, and Saturday, March 7, for boys. Game times are TBD.