No. 7 Cavemen Take On No. 3 Bulldawgs

By Don Eskins

As the 2025-26 basketball season progresses, the games just keep getting bigger and bigger for the Carlsbad Cavemen.

Case in point, on Friday night, January 16, in Las Cruces, the boys in blue will take on the third-ranked 14-1 Las Cruces Bulldawgs, and on Saturday afternoon, January 17, in the City of Crosses, they'll trade punches with the 12^th-ranked 8-6 Centennial Hawks.

But, aside from the enormity of the tasks they'll face in Las Cruces, Cavemen head coach John Zumbrun said his charges, 11-4 on the year and currently ranked seventh by MaxPreps, are anxious and looking forward to the opportunities ahead.

"Las Cruces will be as good as anybody we'll play all year. They're presently 14-1 this season and ranked third by MaxPreps in big school basketball. But in a lot of other polls, they're probably No. 1," said Zumbrun. "Centennial is also tough. They have a kid who's about 6'6"-6'7" tall and can dominate a game. They'll be a great opponent for us also.

"For us, playing two of the most talented teams in the state will give us a better understanding of just where we are as a team in relation to others around the state," he said. "Winning or losing games like this can also play a key role in how well you're seeded for the state playoffs.

"So, if we can grab two wins or steal one against Las Cruces or Centennial," said the Cavemen coach, "it should help us a bunch on down the road with state tournament seedings."

Cavemen Grab 3 Wins

After a 0-3 start on the season, the Cavemen didn't back off. Instead, they rallied to win 11 of their last 12 games. According to Zumbrun, hard work and camaraderie have played key roles in turning the fortunes of their season around.

"Our kids have put in a lot of work. They seem to play well together, especially with the offense we're running," he said. "One of the better shooting teams we've ever had, we have multiple players who can hit threes. As a result, we can spread our offense—and opposing defenses—out.

"However, we're still a long way from where we want or need to be," added the coach. "But when the ball's falling in for us, we buy in on defense and hit the boards; we're a tough team to beat."

Currently, the Cavemen have won their past three games. On January 9, they downed the Mayfield Trojans, 57-47; on January 10, the Organ Mt. Knights, 55-35; and on January 13, the Lovington Wildcats, 69-32.

"These were three big wins for our kids. Mayfield, 10-3 and ranked 12th, and Organ Mt., 7-6 and ranked 13th, when we played them, should be state playoff teams this year," said Zumbrun. "We also played well against Lovington. So, our kids, since dropping one to a very good Artesia team, have shown a lot of resilience."

During CHS's last three wins, Caveman Shane Sullivan lit up the scoreboard. Against Mayfield, the 6'4" senior forward scored 20 points, vs. Organ Mt., 30, and vs. Lovington, 24.

Game recaps:

CHS vs. Mayfield: January 9OMHS   9             15           12           11           47CHS        8             22           9             18           57Leaders: Scoring: Shane Sullivan, 20; Maliq Mills, 11; Tanner Cornum, 9; Dryden Preece, 7; Zenas Huerta, 6; Kevin Quarles, 3; Mario De Leon, 1; Rebounds: S. Sullivan, 11; Z. Huerta, 4; D. Preece, 3, T. Cornum, 2; Assists: M. Mills, 6; Z. Huerta, 3; M. De Leon, 3; D. Preece, 3; T. Cornum, 2; Steals: T. Cornum, 1; Z. Huerta, 1; S. Sullivan, 1; M. De Leon, 1; Blocks: S. Sullivan, 1; 2-pt. FGs, 13-22-59.1%; 3-pt. FGs, 7-15-46.7%; Overall FGs, 20-37-54.1%; FTs, 10-14-71.4%. (Hudl Digital Stats)

CHS vs. Organ Mt; January 10MHS      8             13           10           4             35CHS        15           17           11           12           55Leaders: Scoring: Shane Sullivan, 30; Zenas Huerta, 8; Dryden Preece, 7; Kevin Quarles, 5; Tanner Cornum, 3; Mario De Leon, 2; Rebounds: S. Sullivan, 15; T. Cornum, 8; D. Preece, 8; M. De Leon, 5; Z. Huerta, 4; Assists: K. Quarles, 3; T. Cornum, 2; Z. Huerta, 2; Steals: T. Cornum, 2; K. Quarles, 1; S. Sullivan, 1; Blocks: S. Sullivan, 1; M. Mills, 1; 2-pt. FGs, 16-34-47.1%; 3-pt. FGs, 4-16-25%; Overall FGs, 20-50-40%; FTs, 11-12-91.7%. (Hudl Digital Stats)

CHS @ Lovington: January 13CHS        24           23           14           8             69 LHS         11           8             4             9             32Leaders: Scoring: Shane Sullivan, 24; Dryden Preece; 9; Tanner Cornum, 8; Maliq Mills, 7; Zenas Huerta, 6; Elijah Banks, 6; Mario De Leon, 5; Lucas Bluth, 2; Sanyika Green, 2; Rebounds: S. Sullivan, 4; D. Preece, 4; T. Cornum, 4; Emillio Cobos, 3; M. De Leon, 2, E. Banks, 2; Russell Silva, 2; L. Bluth, 2; Assists: Z. Huerta, 5; M. Mills, 3; Miles Stephens, 3; M. De Leon, 2; D. Preece, 2; Steals: Z. Huerta, 3; S. Sullivan, 3; S. Green, 2; D. Preece, 2; Blocks: D. Preece, 1; 2-pt FGs, 27-38-71.1; 3-pt, FGs, 5-16-31.3%; Overall FG percentage, 32-54-59.3%; FTs, 0-2-0%. (Hudl Digital Stats)