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The Hobbs basketball world returned to normalcy Tuesday amidst the dunks of Jeff Taylor and an Eagle beatdown of a southern New Mexico opponent.
In a matchup of top-five teams in the Class 5A Coaches Poll, No.4 Alamogordo did little to justify its ranking as No.1 Hobbs tamed the Tigers 92-45 at Tasker Arena.
The Eagles were sparked by the return of Taylor, who missed three games with a high left ankle sprain suffered Dec. 28 during the Hobbs Holiday Tournament. The 6-foot-7 Division I recruit finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and punctuated a dominant first-half performance by the Eagles with a one-handed dunk on an Alamogordo player at the end of the second quarter. Taylor was also fouled on the play, made theensuing free throw and gave Hobbs a 65-19 lead entering the half.
Hobbs (15-2) led by as many as 53 points in the second half, when an Allen Tate field goal gavethe Eagles an 84-31 lead late in the third quarter.
With Taylor back, Hobbs once again looked like the juggernaut which started the season 11-0 while averaging 91.6 points per game. Nine other Eagles reached the scoring column - led by Tate's 16 - and the team attacked the rimand rebounded with confidence.
Hobbs had won two of three games without Taylor, but had averaged just 74.3 points per game. The Eagles won the game he was injured in Dec.28, but lost later that eveningwhen the senior tried to play hurt but didn't make it to the second half.
"I knew we could get back into form, I just didn't know we'd get back this quick," Hobbs coach Russ Gilmore said. "...I think as the game went on, (Taylor) got stronger. I think he just had more confidence in his ankle the longer he went. (Taylor playing) is a tribute to both our athletic trainers Diane Lloyd and Dude Slate, along with the work ethic that Taylor put in to get himself back.
Our kids just feed off of Taylor, we've got some really good players outside of Jeff and they just feed off of him.
The Eagles' aggressiveness paid off at the free throw line, where they were 33-for-38, compared to Alamogordo's 3-for-4 effort. Taylor finished 17-for-18, draining 17 consecutive freebies after missing his first attempt.
Taylor said after the game his ankle felt "good" and he did not experience any hesitancy on the floor.
"I just tried to come out there and play fearless," Taylor said. "That's when you play at your best-when you don't think about things and just go out and play...off of instinct."
Hobbs didn't waste much time turning Tuesday's contest into a blowout. Leading 9-6, the Eagles closed the final 5 minutes, 19 seconds of the first quarter on an 18-2 run, capped by Juhreece Thompson's buzzer-beating turn-around three-point bank shot.
Hobbs increased it's lead to 30 in the second quarter before five straight Alamogordo points cut the Eagle advantage to 44-19. Hobbs then scored the final 21 points of the half, including 9 by Taylor.
Hobbs, which outrebounded Alamogordo 33-17, had more rebounds (20) at the half than the Tigers had points (19).
"Coach is always talking about we should get, like, 50 boards a game and we just go out there and do our best to... outrebound out opponent," Thompson said. "...We're good and we're just trying to get better."
Thompson and Tyler Turner finished with eight points each for Hobbs and Derek Peterson added seven.
Travis Geiger led the Tigers (8-6) with 16 points.
Alamogordo coach John Madden said the Tigers never found a way to get going, do in part to the Tasker Arena atmosphere but should be a force later in the season - especially if 6-foot-6 standout Matt Peeler returns from a knee injury.
"I feel like we didn't play... Alamogordo basketball," Madden said. I don't think we take anything away (from this loss) because we didn't play our basketball. They Outhustled us, they outworked us on the boards...There's no way they're 47 points better (than us).
"...We'll regroup, get ready and then we'll meet (Hobbs) down the road...If (Peeler's) back, everybody better look out because everybody's in trouble."
Hobbs next plays at Artesia 7 p.m. Tuesday.
TAYLOR SCORE WATCHING-
Taylor's 31 points moved him into ninth place on Hobbs' all-time scoring list with 1,242 points. Taylor passed his uncle and varsity assistant coach Vince Taylor (1978-81, 1,220) and Hollice Clay (1957-60, 1,222). Ervin Youmans (2001-04) is No.8 with 1,309.
Onate coach and former Eagle Richard Robinson (1970-73) is Hobbs' all-time leading scorer with 1,605 points.
In a matchup of top-five teams in the Class 5A Coaches Poll, No.4 Alamogordo did little to justify its ranking as No.1 Hobbs tamed the Tigers 92-45 at Tasker Arena.
The Eagles were sparked by the return of Taylor, who missed three games with a high left ankle sprain suffered Dec. 28 during the Hobbs Holiday Tournament. The 6-foot-7 Division I recruit finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and punctuated a dominant first-half performance by the Eagles with a one-handed dunk on an Alamogordo player at the end of the second quarter. Taylor was also fouled on the play, made theensuing free throw and gave Hobbs a 65-19 lead entering the half.
Hobbs (15-2) led by as many as 53 points in the second half, when an Allen Tate field goal gavethe Eagles an 84-31 lead late in the third quarter.
With Taylor back, Hobbs once again looked like the juggernaut which started the season 11-0 while averaging 91.6 points per game. Nine other Eagles reached the scoring column - led by Tate's 16 - and the team attacked the rimand rebounded with confidence.
Hobbs had won two of three games without Taylor, but had averaged just 74.3 points per game. The Eagles won the game he was injured in Dec.28, but lost later that eveningwhen the senior tried to play hurt but didn't make it to the second half.
"I knew we could get back into form, I just didn't know we'd get back this quick," Hobbs coach Russ Gilmore said. "...I think as the game went on, (Taylor) got stronger. I think he just had more confidence in his ankle the longer he went. (Taylor playing) is a tribute to both our athletic trainers Diane Lloyd and Dude Slate, along with the work ethic that Taylor put in to get himself back.
Our kids just feed off of Taylor, we've got some really good players outside of Jeff and they just feed off of him.
The Eagles' aggressiveness paid off at the free throw line, where they were 33-for-38, compared to Alamogordo's 3-for-4 effort. Taylor finished 17-for-18, draining 17 consecutive freebies after missing his first attempt.
Taylor said after the game his ankle felt "good" and he did not experience any hesitancy on the floor.
"I just tried to come out there and play fearless," Taylor said. "That's when you play at your best-when you don't think about things and just go out and play...off of instinct."
Hobbs didn't waste much time turning Tuesday's contest into a blowout. Leading 9-6, the Eagles closed the final 5 minutes, 19 seconds of the first quarter on an 18-2 run, capped by Juhreece Thompson's buzzer-beating turn-around three-point bank shot.
Hobbs increased it's lead to 30 in the second quarter before five straight Alamogordo points cut the Eagle advantage to 44-19. Hobbs then scored the final 21 points of the half, including 9 by Taylor.
Hobbs, which outrebounded Alamogordo 33-17, had more rebounds (20) at the half than the Tigers had points (19).
"Coach is always talking about we should get, like, 50 boards a game and we just go out there and do our best to... outrebound out opponent," Thompson said. "...We're good and we're just trying to get better."
Thompson and Tyler Turner finished with eight points each for Hobbs and Derek Peterson added seven.
Travis Geiger led the Tigers (8-6) with 16 points.
Alamogordo coach John Madden said the Tigers never found a way to get going, do in part to the Tasker Arena atmosphere but should be a force later in the season - especially if 6-foot-6 standout Matt Peeler returns from a knee injury.
"I feel like we didn't play... Alamogordo basketball," Madden said. I don't think we take anything away (from this loss) because we didn't play our basketball. They Outhustled us, they outworked us on the boards...There's no way they're 47 points better (than us).
"...We'll regroup, get ready and then we'll meet (Hobbs) down the road...If (Peeler's) back, everybody better look out because everybody's in trouble."
Hobbs next plays at Artesia 7 p.m. Tuesday.
TAYLOR SCORE WATCHING-
Taylor's 31 points moved him into ninth place on Hobbs' all-time scoring list with 1,242 points. Taylor passed his uncle and varsity assistant coach Vince Taylor (1978-81, 1,220) and Hollice Clay (1957-60, 1,222). Ervin Youmans (2001-04) is No.8 with 1,309.
Onate coach and former Eagle Richard Robinson (1970-73) is Hobbs' all-time leading scorer with 1,605 points.
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