The Carlsbad Cavemen did everything it could do to convince the postseason committee it belongs in the playoffs while the Hobbs Eagles’ season came to an end Friday night.
After starting out district play 0-2, the Carlsbad Cavemen finally played with its full roster and finished the season on a five-game winning streak that ended with a 49-47 victory to sweep rival Hobbs and make a case Carlsbad deserves an at-large tournament bid.
How it happened
The game was close from start to finish. Neither team led by more than six points at any time and each quarter started with a one-score lead. Both Carlsbad (8-3, 4-2 4-5A) and Hobbs (6-4, 2-4) knew this game would come down to the end.
Carlsbad seniors Andrew Miller and Ayden Parent did everything they could to extend their season and in the final minutes of the game both men got their chances.
Turning point
Hobbs led 47-45 with 90 seconds left when Miller found Parent for a layup to tie the game and send the Carlsbad student section into a frenzy. A steal by Miller gave the Cavemen a chance to take the lead on a breakaway layup but the shot was off its mark.
As Hobbs scrambled back to retake the lead Parent sacrificed his well-being and absorbed a charge with 51 seconds to give Carlsbad the ball once again. Miller took the inbound pass and from the top of the key, and his jump shot hit the rim with enough spin to drop in after two bounces to put Carlsbad up, 49-47.
They said it
“Hobbs gave us a tremendous effort. We knew they were going to give us their best punch. We didn’t shoot the ball really well but that’s because Hobbs didn’t let us shoot well. We only hit two 3’s in the game but that’s a credit to the pressure Hobbs put on us. Kyle Ramirez did a great job of defense on Jalen Goar, Hobbs’ top player. Ramirez had just enough wind to make a few defensive plays and we persevered. That game could have gone either way.”
– John Zumbrun, Carlsbad head coach
“It’s a blessing just to play and get 10 games in. We got to at least finish the season up. I heard six or seven cancellations just today. I hate (the ending) for our two seniors. We wanted to end this on a good note. Jaden (Miller) and Isaiah (Lewis) my heart goes out to them. We played hard for them. We got a lot of guys coming back so we need to have a good summer practice. We’ll take probably a week off and then get back to work.”
– Shelby Reeves, Hobbs head coach
Stat leaders
Miller (13) and Parent (12) were the scorers in double figures for the Cavemen and sophomore Tylen Gonzales added seven points while pulling down eight rebounds. The Cavemen struggled at the free throw line, going 9-for-19 from the charity stripe.
Jason Goar and Jesus Ramos each scored 14 for the Eagles. As a team Hobbs was 6-for-9 from the free throw line. Ramos led Hobbs with seven rebounds.
Matthew Asher can be reached at 575-628-5524, masher@currentargus.com or @Caveman_Masher on Twitter.