Cavegirls get stops inside, win at Roswell

ROSWELL – Although the Carlsbad girls basketball team grew tired in the final moments at Roswell on Tuesday, they continued to get rebounds and stops inside any way possible.

Lunging for the ball repeatedly, the Cavegirls in turn got it down to the other end for scoring opportunities en route to a 37-30 win.

“We were just trying to shut them down any way possible,” senior forward Rylan Gonsalez said. “You’ve got to pinch when the ball goes inside, and you’ve got to try to move your feet when they have it on the perimeter. We all had the drive, so we just had to go for it.”

It was a major victory because Roswell is nmpreps.rivals.com’s top-ranked 5A squad.

“(Roswell’s) very aggressive, they go to the offensive boards really hard. I was worried that they were wearing my kids down, but they just stuck in there. We made plays to finish,” coach John Zumbrun said.

Roswell’s Jaedyn De le cerda and Gali Sanchez, who combined for 24 points, kept the fairly close-hitting shots out on the corners, but Carlsbad otherwise kept Roswell’s lineup at bay – particularly in defending the post.

“They’re extremely strong. We’ve just got to get in there and lock them down,” sophomore point guard Mariel Gomez said of Roswell.

Zumbrun said Carlsbad also tried to contain De le cerda and Sanchez in the short corner, something that gave the Cavegirls problems in both meetings last year.

Although Carlsbad didn’t knock down every free-throw attempt they had in the fourth quarter, they made just enough to establish control for good.

“We’ve got to get to the free-throw line and get those extra points,” Gomez said.

Gonsalez said it was important to match Roswell’s strength and movement in the post.

“They’re a lot quicker than us. We just had to try to fight them on everything,” Gonsalez said.

Freshman guard Carsyn Boswell scored a game-high 17 points, while junior forward Teagan Rogers had 10 points and three rebounds.

Gomez had five points, three rebounds and two steals. Gonsalez had four points and 10 rebounds on the night.

Carlsbad (3-0) will face Aztec at 11:30 a.m. Thursday to open the Artesia City of Champions Classic tournament.

CARLSBAD 37, ROSWELL 30

Up next for Carlsbad: 11:30 a.m. Thursday vs. Aztec (Artesia City of Champions Classic)

Up next for Roswell: 1 p.m. Thursday vs. Las Cruces (Rio Rancho Tournament)

Current-Argus Sports Editor Matt Hollinshead may be reached at 575-628-5518.