By DEREK LOPEZ
The Muleshoe Mules varsity basketball team held off a late surge from the Sudan Hornets on Tuesday in summer league action,35-32.
Sudan’s Josh Leal got the game going with a three from the left wing, but Muleshoe answered right back with a three of their own to tie the game, 3-3, with 17:40 remaining in the first half.
Derek Barron knocked down a three from the left wing off of the assist from Carter McCamish to give the Mules their first lead of the game, 6-3.
With just under 16 minutes to play in the half, Alex Conley was fouled on an attempt and converted the free throw to make it a one-point game, 6-5. Jacob Barron was fouled on an attempt and sank the free throw to stretch their lead back out to, 8-5 and two plays later, Kelan Flores dropped in a reverse lay-up, drawing the and-one foul to make the score, 11-5, with 11:03 to play in the half.
With just over 10 minutes to play in the half, Conley was fouled on an attempt and converted the free throw, trimming the lead to, 11-7, but Muleshoe answered with a three-point play, pushing their lead back out to, 14-7.
With just over eight minutes remaining in the half, Beto Mendoza was fouled on an attempt; he sank the free throw to trim the lead to, 14-9, but on the other end, Dylan was fouled on the floor by Conley and sank the free throw, making the score, 16-9.
Jacob Barron sank a free throw to push their lead to, 18-9 and after another free throw from the Mules, Michael Limon dropped in a lay-up to cut the Hornets’ deficit to, 20-11. Mendoza knocked down a jumper from the top of the key off of the assist from Limon, but with time winding down in the half, Victor Velasquez was fouled on an attempt and sank the free throw, making the score, 22-13, going into halftime.
Isaiah Cisneros opened the second half by going coast-to-coast for a lay-up, but Jacob Barron answered with a three from the left elbow, followed by a put-back from Velasquez, stretching their lead to, 27-15, with just over 16 minutes to play.
Cisneros knocked down a three for Sudan from the right elbow, but Braden Shipman was fouled on the other end on an attempt and converted the free throw, making the score, 29-18.
With 11:16 to play, Conley was fouled on a put-back try by Velasquez and converted the free throw to trim the lead to, 29-20. Montes scored a put-back off of the miss by Cisneros and after a missed free throw by Derek Barron, Cisneros took the ball to the basket for a lay-up, slicing the lead to, 29-24, with just over nine minutes remaining in the contest.
Sebastian knocked down a turnaround jumper from the left elbow and Brian Cruz converted a free throw to stretch the lead back out to, 33-24, with just over six minutes to play. On the other end, Montes was fouled on the floor, earning a one-in-one opportunity at the line. He sank the free throw to make it a seven-point game.
The Mules scored a put-back, but Conley answered with a lay-up, followed by a lay-up from Battin off of the assist from Leal, cutting the lead to, 35-30. With just over one minute to play, Battin knocked down an elbow jumper from the left side and Limon took a charge on Velasquez to regain possession for Sudan.
The Hornets had the ball with time winding down, as Cisneros hoisted up a three from the left elbow to tie the game, but it was off the mark, as the Mules prevailed, 35-32.
