High school basketball: Wild ending between Clovis West and Clovis North in TRAC finale
Clovis West boys basketball coach Vance Walberg said he’s exhausted after his Golden Eagles pulled out a 60-59 victory over Clovis North.
DJ Stickman made a driving layup with four seconds remaining to give The Bee’s third-ranked Clovis West the victory and a share of the Tri-River Athletic Conference title with the second-ranked Broncos.
“Heck of a play,” Walberg said. “The TRAC is so tough, people don’t realize it. We got four of the top seven teams. Every night if you don’t come to play, it’s an absolute beast.”
Walberg described Stickman as a “special player” and said “he made a jump this year and I still believe he’s got a really big jump the following year.”
When Connor Amundsen missed the last second shot, the Golden Eagles stormed the court and celebrated.
Clovis West avenged an earlier defeat to Clovis North earlier in the season. The Broncos won that game 79-67.
Not this time, says Stickman even though he thought Amundsen would make both free throws. That wasn’t the case before Stickman drove down the court and made the layup.
“We made it happen this time,” he said in front of teammates. “It feels great.”
Clovis West and Clovis North will find out where they will be seeded Saturday when the Central Section announces playoff pairings.
The high school basketball playoffs begin next week.
