Deming Wildcat boys jockey for position in District 3-5A as post-season tournament looms

DEMING – Wildcat boys’ basketball appears to be jockeying for position heading into the final leg of the regular season. With a post-season tournament looming, the ‘Cats have posted two District 3-5A wins in its last two games. The most recent win came on Tuesday as the ‘Cats avenged an earlier-season loss over the Centennial High Hawks, 54-45 at Frank Dooley Court on the campus of Deming High School.

Deming (9-12, 3-7) began the second go-round in the district with a win over Gadsden and an overtime loss at Alamogordo, 59-57. The ‘Cats have tightened the half-court defense, battled tough on rebounds and made better decisions in the shot-taking department. Despite 19 turnovers, the Wildcats have turned up their level of intensity recently.

A testament to the ‘Cat’s resurgence was evident in the opening eight minutes of Tuesday’s district contest. The Deming defense limited the Hawks to a free throw for the entire first period of play. The ‘Cats rattled off 12 points during that stretch.

Junior Alex Alfaro continued his standout play at both ends of the floor. The 6-foot forward had 20 points and 16 rebounds. He was followed by senior Anthony and junior Adrian Lopez with 8 and 7 points respectively. Senior Kellen Carbajal and junior David Robredo each scored 6 points, junior Ivan Schultz had 5 and senior Cesar Ramirez added a basket.

This victory was a wire-to-wire finish for the Wildcats.

The ‘Cats will travel to Las Cruces today to play at Mayfield High School. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

Bill Armendariz can be reached at 575-546-2611 (leave a message) or biarmendariz@demingheadlight.com.

This article originally appeared on Deming Headlight: Deming Wildcat boys jockey for position in District 3-5A