The Littlefield Wildcats’ varsity basketball team won their first game of the Summer Shootout Basketball Tournament hosted by Littlefield on Friday afternoon, as they took down the Muleshoe Mules, 63-48.
Jeremiah Trevino opened the first half with a three from the left elbow off of the assist from Omar Martinez, but Muleshoe answered with a putback by Tate Shipman and Irvin Torres followed it up with a lay-up to put the Mules in front, 4-3. Ryan Williams would answer with a put-back for the Wildcats to regain the lead to, 5-4, and Trevino followed it up with a drive to the basket for a lay-up, making the score, 7-4, with 18:12 remaining in the opening half.
Ryan Williams kept it going, as he buried a three from the right elbow and MJ Randle joined in on the scoring, as he knocked down a three from the left wing off of the assist from Martinez, pushing their lead to, 13-4. Adam Alarcon went coast-to-coast for a Muleshoe lay-up, but Ja’Den Williams responded with a lay-up, drawing an and-one foul on the play to make the score, 16-6.
Littlefield’s onslaught of three’s continued, as Ian Mendez drained a triple from the right elbow, stretching their lead to, 19-6, with 13:39 remaining in the first half. Sebastian Kirven dropped in a lay-up off of the assist from Torres, but on the other end, Mendez drove the baseline for a lay-up off of the assist from McCarty, pushing the lead out to, 21-8.
With 11:38 remaining in the half, Eliasar Cisneros drove to the basket for a lay-up to stop the bleeding for Muleshoe, but Trevino found Chip Green on the next play, on a two-on-one break for a lay-up to extend their lead to, 23-10. With just over eight minutes remaining in the half, Martinez hit Ryan Williams down low for a lay-up and an and-one foul on the play.
With the lead out to 16-points for the Wildcats, Green scored on a fast-break lay-up, off of the outlet pass from Martinez, making the score, 28-10. The Mules took a time out with 7:49 left to play in the half and out of the break, Torres drained a three from the left elbow, trimming the lead to, 28-13.
Ja’Den Williams scored a put-back off of a miss by McCarty, but on the other end, Davien McMullen was fouled on an attempt, earning a trip to the line. He missed the free throw, but Torres was there for the put-back to cut the lead to, 30-15, with just under four minutes to play in the half.
Ryan Williams answered with a three from top of the key, off of the assist from Martinez, but the Mules fired right back, as Kirven dropped in a lay-up to make the score, 33-17, with under one minute to play in the half. Martinez would close out the first half with a lay-up off of a steal to make the score, 35-17, going into halftime.
Kirven dropped in a thirdchance bucket to open the second half for Muleshoe and Torres went coast-to-coast for a lay-up on their next possession to trim the lead to, 35-21. With 16:26 remaining, Randle dropped in a lay-up and drew an and-one foul on the play to make the score, 38-21.
Kirven was fouled on a putback attempt and converted the free throw to trim the lead to, 38-23, but Ja’Den Williams answered with a three from the left elbow to push their lead back out to, 41-23, with 14:12 left to play in the game.
Alarcon dropped in a lay-up for the Mules, picking up an and-one foul on the play, but Major McNeese answered with a lay-up on the other end to make the score, 43-26, with 13:42 left to play in the contest. Kirven dropped in a layup off of the assist from Cisneros, but the Wildcats again answered, as Elijah Salazar dropped in a put-back off of a miss by McNeese, making the score, 45-28.
Shipman burried a three from the top of the key, off of the assist from Alarcon, but McCarty responded on the other end with a three of his own from the right wing to push the Littlefield lead to, 48-31, with 11:56 remaining in the game. Alarcon used a dribble drive to get to the basket for a floater, as Littlefield took a time out with 10:58 remaining, leading the Mules, 48-33.
Out of the break, Donovan Gonzalez dropped in a lay-up, but Ryan Williams was fouled on the other end, earning a trip to the line. He converted the free throw to stretch the lead to, 50-35, with 8:29 remaining. With just over six minutes remaining, McMullen dropped in a transition lay-up, but Ja’Den Williams answered with a drive to the basket for a lay-up to make the score, 52-37.
Salazar buried a three from the left elbow, but McMullen answered with a lay-up and an and-one foul on the play, trimming the lead to, 55-40. Randle took a charge on Kirven with just under three minutes left to play and on the offensive end, Trevino buried a three from the left elbow off of the assist from Martinez, making the score, 58-40.
Salazar found Ryan Williams with an outlet pass on the fastbreak for a lay-up, but Shipman responded with a putback off of a missed free throw by Kirven, making the score, 60-42. Green knocked down a three with under a minute to play, but Shipman responded with back-to-back threes to close out the game, as Littlefield took down Muleshoe, 63-48.
Ryan Williams led the team in scoring with 15 points, while Ja’Den Williams joined him in double-figures scoring with 10 points. Trevino tallied eight points, while Green netted seven points and Randle contributed six points.
Mendez and Salazar each finished with five points, while McCarty added three points and Martinez and McNeese each netted two points in the contest.