The Littlefield Wildcats’ varsity basketball team cruised to victory over the Lockney Longhorns in their Farwell Invitational opener on Thursday afternoon, 74-36.
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 1-0 in tournament play on the weekend.
Nate Castaneda hit a cutting Chip Green for a lay-up to open the contest, but Aatrayu Leal answered with a three from the right wing to put Lockney in front, 3-2. Jayden Barrio fired right back with a floater in the lane to regain the lead for the Wildcats and he followed it up with a dish to a cutting Kam McCarty for a lay-up to stretch their lead to, 6-3.
Barrio hit Green in transition for a lay-up and Ryan Williams followed it up with a steal, passing it down court to McCarty, who dropped in the fast-break lay-up, extending the lead to, 10-3, with 5:32 to play in the opening quarter. McCarty dropped in a put-back off of a miss by Williams and on the next play, Green grabbed a defensive rebound heaving the outlet pass down court to McCarty for the fast-break lay-up, stretching their lead to, 14-3.
Lockney took a time out with 4:46 to play in the first quarter, and out of the break, Daniel Alvarado dropped in a floater from the left baseline, but on the other end, Green hit Castaneda on the pickand- roll for a lay-up, making the score, 16-5. Littlefield stayed on the attack, as Castaneda passed to Williams, who then sent the outlet pass down court to McCarty for a fast-break lay-up, stretching the lead to, 18-5.
Williams hit McCarty on the fast-break for a lay-up and Caden Reyes followed it up with a pass to Jose Payan for a lay-up, making the score, 22-5, with just over three minutes to play in the quarter. Reyes buried a three from the right elbow and Andrew Davis used a euro-step to get into the pait for a lay-up off of the assist from Sammy Saenz, making the score, 27-5. Saenz drew a blocking foul on Haygen Lefevre and sank both free throws, but Lefevre dropped in a lay-up to close out the quarter for Lockney, off of the assist from Alvarado, making the score, 29-7, as the first quarter came to a close.
Dahlen Silva dropped in a floater from the right side, drawing an and-one foul on Castaneda. He sank the free throw to trim the lead to, 29-10, and Alvarado followed it up with a three from the left wing to cut the lead to, 29-13, with 7:26 to play in the half. Littlefield would respond, as Williams hit Barrio down low, who finished with a reverse lay-up to push the lead back out to, 31-13.
Green dropped in a lay-up on the right side and Williams followed it up with a lay-up on the left side off of the assist from Barrio, making the score, 35-13, as Littlefield took a time out with 3:51 to play in the half. Out of the break, Tye Graves was fouled on an attempt by Castaneda, earning a trip to the line. He made one of two shots from the line, making the score, 35-14.
Barrio drove the lane, dumping the ball off to Green for a lay-up, drawing an and-one foul on Josiah Cuellar. Green sank the free throw, pushing their lead to, 38-14. With 2:38 to play in the half, Saenz was fouled on an attempt by Cuellar and he made one-of-two shots from the line, stretching the lead to, 39-14.
Leal drained a three from the right elbow to end the scoring drought for Lockney, but with under a minute to play in the half, Reyes took a charge on Alvarado and Davis followed it up with a lay-up in the lane to make the score, 41-17, going into the locker room at halftime.
Barrio got the Wildcats going in the second half with a lay-up and Castaneda dropped in a layup off of the assist from Green to make the score, 45-17. Barrio hit a cutting McCarty for a lay-up, as Lockney took a time out to talk things over with 5:49 to play in the third quarter. Out of the break, Castaneda hit a cutting Green for a lay-up, but Alvarado answered with a three from the right elbow, trimming the lead to, 49-20.
With 3:35 to play in the quarter, Logan Rodriguez was fouled on an attempt by Green and converted both free throws to make the score, 49-22. Reyes answered with a jumper from the right elbow for Littlefield, but Lockney came right back with a bucket on the other end to make the score, 5124, with just over three minutes to play in the third.
Saenz hit Davis for a lay-up, as he drew an and- one foul on Lefevre. Davis converted the free throw, making the score, 54-24. Josiah Rosales and Bo Alvis dropped in back-to-back floaters to close out the quarter for Lockney with Littlefield leading, 53-26, heading into the final quarter of play.
Green hit a cutting McCarty for a lay-up to open the fourth quarter and Barrio followed it up with a no-look pass to Williams for a layup, making the score, 57- 26. Rosales answered with a lay-up on the right side and the Longhorns followed it up with another lay-up to trim the lead to, 58-32, with 5:34 left to play in the game.
Green scored a put-back off of a miss by Williams and McCarty drove the left side for a lay-up, extending their lead back out to, 62-32. Littlefield kept their foot on the gas, as Williams hit a cutting Barrio for a lay-up and McCarty followed it up with a pass to Castaneda on a cut to the basket for a lay-up, making the score, 6632. Leal hit Lefevre in transition for a lay-up, but Ben Castillo responded with a lay-up for the Wildcats making the score, 68-34.
Lefevre fired back with a lay-up for Lockney, but on the other end, Castillo spun to the basket for a lay-up in the lane and Saenz followed it up with a behind the back pass to Payan for a lay-up with 1:25 left to play in the game, pushing the lead to, 72-36. Reyes picked up as teal and tossed it ahead to Davis for a lay-up on the fast-break, as Littlefield closed out Lockney, 74-36.
McCarty led the Wildcats with 18 points, to go along with four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block, while Green joined him in double-figures scoring with 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Davis tallied nine points, three steals, two rebounds and one block, while Barrio chipped in eight points, five assists, two rebounds and one steal.
Castaneda contributed six points, five rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block, while Reyes chipped in five points, one rebound, one assist and one steal, and Castillo tallied four points, two rebounds and one steal. Payan contributed four points, five rebounds and one block, while Williams added four points, five assists, four steals and one rebound, and Saenz finished with three points, five assists, two rebounds, two steals and one block.