Day 3 Hobbs Holiday Tourney Wrap up

  The 55th edition of the Hobbs Holiday Tournament is in the books and Andress rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat Hobbs 64-62 on Saturday for its second title in the three years (won in 2010). For Hobbs, the drought continues as it hasn't won its own tournament since 2008 – longest such streak in the 55-year history of the tournament.
  Turnovers killed Hobbs as it committed 24 in the game, including seven in the fourth quarter with most of those coming in the final few minutes of the game. Andress, which has won 10 games in a row, just flat outplayed Hobbs (9-3 on season now) in the final two quarters and seemed to want it more.
  Here is a rundown of Saturday's action at the Hobbs Holiday Tournament

Scores

Championship

Andress 64, Hobbs 62

Third-Place Game

Lawton 71, Canutillo 59

Fifth-Place Game

Millennium 60, Abilene Cooper 39

Seventh-Place Game

Odessa 64, Highland 57

Hobbs Holiday Tourney Day 2 Wrap Up

  The finals are set for the Hobbs Holiday Tournament as Hobbs will face El Paso Andress 7:45 p.m. Saturday for the title. Hobbs, which blew past Canutillo 91-49, last played Andress in the 2010 Holiday Tournament semifinals – losing 67-59. Andress, who beat Lawton 65-48 Friday, went on to win the tournament title that year.
  Here is a quick look at Friday's action at the Hobbs Holiday Tournament. For information on each game, read Saturday's edition of the Hobbs News-Sun (hobbsnews.com).

Friday's Scores

Winner's Bracket

Hobbs 91, Canutillo 49

El Paso Andress 65, Lawton 48

Consolation Bracket

Goodyear Millennium (Ariz.) 65, Odessa High 56

Abilene Cooper 58, Albuquerque Highland 50

Hobbs Holiday Tourney Day 1 Wrap Up

  The 55th Annual Hobbs Holiday Tournament started with the two best games of the day as Lawton rallied in the final minutes to beat Odessa High and Andress extended its winning streak to eight games and beat Arizona Division-I No. 5 Goodyear Millennium in overtime. Canutillo used a big third quarter to get past Abilene Cooper while host Hobbs pounced on Highland early on its way to a first-round win. For complete coverage of the game, read Friday's edition of the Hobbs News-Sun (hobbsnews.com).
  Here's a look at day one of the Hobbs Holiday Tournament.

Scores

Lawton (Okla.) 60, Odessa 55

El Paso Andress 65, Goodyear Millennium (Ariz.) 64

Canutillo 56, Abilene Cooper 44

Hobbs 88, Highland 63

55th Annual Hobbs Holiday Tournament - team preview capsules

  The 55th Annual Hobbs Holiday Tournament begins Thursday as eight teams come to Tasker Arena and battle for the gold basketball trophy. Of the eight teams at the tournament, five have won Hobbs Holiday Tournament titles before. Click here for the bracket and here is a little bit on each team attending the tournament. This will be on the second page of Thursday's sports section for those of you who want a copy.

Andress Eagles
El Paso, Texas
Coach: Jim Forbes
Record: 9-6
Key Players:  Jeff Long (5-10, Jr., 16 ppg), Dalvyn Collins (Sr.), De’jon Scott (Sr.), Joey Pacheco (Jr.), Eddie Sinegal (Jr.), Isaiah Hemmit (6-5, Jr.)
Outlook: After limping out to a 2-6 start, El Paso Andress has won its last seven games heading into the Hobbs Holiday Tournament. The Eagles won the Holiday Tournament in 2010 with a 79-72 win over Albuquerque Eldorado. Forbes said while the team has won seven games in a row, defense is still the its biggest concern.

Updated Hobbs Holiday Tourney bracket

  There has been a slight change to the Hobbs Holiday Tournament bracket with Abilene Cooper and Highland swapping places. Hobbs will now open with Highland 7:45 p.m. Thursday while Abilene Cooper will play Canutillo at 6 p.m. From what I was told, it was due to Hobbs wanting to ensure another game against an in-state opponent (something heavily looked at when seeding time comes around) as Hobbs has played only one New Mexico school (win over Oñate on Saturday) in its first nine contests.

Lea Co. football players named All-State

  The New Mexico High School Coaches Association released its all-state teams via NMPreps.com late Wednesday night with several Lea County players making the team.
  In Class 5A, Hobbs’ Kolin Zembas, a junior, was named second-team all-state punter and was the only Eagle to make all-state.
  Lovington was well represented on the Class 3A team with senior running back Justin Bromley, senior offensive lineman Ivan Salcido and senior wide receiver Omar Arroyo making the first-team offense. Senior offensive lineman Mario Aragon and senior tight end Josh Reyes were named to the second team.
  On defense, senior linebacker Bo Jackson, senior defensive end/outside linebacker Matt Guzman and senior defensive back David Robles made the first team.
  In Class 2A, Eunice senior offensive lineman James Marley was named to the second team.
  In Class 1A, Jal junior Marc Acosta was named first-team offense as a running back and second-team defense as a defensive back.
  In 8-man, Tatum's Timmy Pearce was named first-team running back and defensive end/outside linebacker while offensive lineman Kyle Hollingsworth was named to the first team offense as well. Joining Pearce on the first-team defense is defensive lineman John Amador and Bryce Howe as both a defensive back and a kicker. Offensive lineman Jaden Kirkpatrick made the second-team offense while linebacker Seth Slover and defensive end/outside linebacker Mason Price both made the second-team defense.
  The full all-state teams will be available in Friday’s edition of the News-Sun.

Quick video from Hobbs win over Oñate

  Here is video of Hobbs' 65-61 win over Oñate on Saturday in Las Cruces. I'm still trying to perfect the art of the video hence why it's so short.

Slow starts trouble Hobbs as of late

Clayton Jones/News-Sun

Hobbs' Dane Pannell fights his way through a pair

of Oñate players Saturday in Las Cruces.

  A troubling trend for the Hobbs boys basketball team reared its ugly head for the fourth consecutive game during the Eagles’ 65-61 victory over Oñate on Saturday.
  No, it’s not the free-throw shooting despite the 6-for-24 performance Saturday. Overall, Hobbs is a good shooting team from the line. The Eagles are just hitting a rough patch in the road and should be fine.  
  This troubling trend is Hobbs’ slow start to games.
  The Eagles fell behind Oñate 14-7 in the opening quarter and had to battle back for the win.  In Hobbs’ last four games (which includes both its losses on its 7-2 record), the Eagles have been outscored 94-52 in the first quarter.
  All of those games have been away from the comforts of Tasker Arena – a place where it’s easy to get amped with the big crowds, the Taskervitch Band and all the other tradition that comes with playing at the legendary venue.
  No doubt, this has been the toughest four-game stretch of the season for Hobbs as the Eagles aren’t falling behind to slouches. Hobbs trailed at some point in the first quarter to Texas 5A No. 21 El Paso Coronado 20-7 (lost 69-54), Texas 4A No. 23 El Paso Hanks 26-14 (won 79-71), prep academy Houston Trent Internationale and its three D-I recruits 27-5 (lost 85-77) and Oñate 14-7 (won 65-61).

Hobbs' Adrianne, Ronald Ross lead their respective Euro leagues in scoring

  Brother and sister Ronald and Adrianne Ross did their share of damage while wearing the black and gold of Hobbs, both collecting state titles. They both went on to strong Division-I programs (Ronald at Texas Tech, Adrianne at TCU) where they shined as well.
  Therefore it should be no surprise each has continued on with their basketball careers, finding success in Europe where both lead their respective leagues in scoring.

Tasker Arena featured on NFHS website

  The long history of Tasker Arena was chronicled and detailed by the National Federation of State High School Associations' website Nov. 30, and tabbed as one of the most famous high school venues in the country (here is the link).
  Often times it's easy forget what a gem Tasker Arena is. It only takes me a game or two on the road covering the Eagles in half or three-quarter empty gym to appreciate what a special place Tasker Arena is (also ranked one of the top place to watch a high school game by USA Today in 2004). The support Hobbs gives to its up-tempo, full-court pressing Eagles is tough to match when it comes to prep basketball in this country. Take pride in that Hobbs and don't let up.