It was halftime and Clovis West was down big at home against a difficult TRAC opponent. The gym was supposed to be anxious, yet oddly it was filled with the opposite: anticipation.
The reason? Clovis West fans had already seen how this movie played out last Friday when the Golden Eagles came back from a halftime deficit to defeat Clovis North in overtime on January 10th.
Turns out they were treated to a sequel Friday night.
Clovis West rode a big third quarter and fought tooth and nail down the stretch to pull out a 66-61 overtime victory against a talented Clovis East squad Friday night.
Clovis East took control of the game early – with help from their senior stars.
Jermal Pittman shot the ball well for Clovis East in the first half, knocking down three three-pointers and pouring in 21 points before halftime. The speedy guard was difficult to contain in transition, fueling the offense with his scoring and passing.
Fellow seniors Tyler Pacheco and Will Wiggins were stout on the defensive end in the first half, fighting for steals and taking possessions away from the high-scoring Clovis West offense.
With both ends of the floor playing well, the Timberwolves raced out to a 36-22 lead, but Clovis West went on a 6-0, closing the gap to eight at halftime.
The late momentum boost was just what the Golden Eagles needed heading into the third quarter.
Clovis West went on a 10-1 run after halftime, led by timely steals from Cole Anderson and key buckets from Max Phillips. It was a team effort as the offense shared the wealth to bring the Golden Eagles back into the game.
With the score tied at 45 headed into the fourth quarter, both defenses stepped up and physical play took over – leading to a game-altering call.
Wiggins fouled out for Clovis East with three minutes left in regulation, and the Timberwolves defense was not the same for the remainder of the game.
Clovis East managed to keep the game tied at 57 at the final buzzer to force overtime, yet Clovis West’s Jarren Carr scored six points in the extra period to guide the Golden Eagles to their 18th win on the season and third in the TRAC.
“I was way quicker than their guards, so I just had to make one move to get by,” Carr said. “I was the hot hand tonight, so they went to me late.”
Carr and Anderson each scored a team-high 17 points, while Phillips chipped in 14. Clovis West needed everybody on the floor to contribute Friday against the stingy Clovis East defense, and it all came together for one of the Golden Eagles’ most impressive wins of the season.
“Having the 3-0 headstart in league is very good,” Carr said. “This win builds confidence headed into next week.”