Champions! Lady Eagles pull away from Rio Rancho for state title PETER STEIN/NEWS-SUN ALBUQUERQUE – The Hobbs girls basketball team is in the business of contending for state championships. It’s what they do, how they roll. Like a fast food joint churning out hamburgers, the Lady Eagles serve up title contenders on a regular basis. Winning a state title is …

Coach Reeves retires from Hobbs Eagle basketball JASON FARMER/NEWS-SUN The Hobbs basketball arena might be named for former head coach Ralph Tasker, but Shelby Reeves is a name no basketball fans from Hobbs will soon forget. After more than 50 years in Hobbs, Reeves will be leaving town Monday, ready to start the next chapter of his life. “I am …

Peter Stein/News-Sun For a long time, Don Abbott was a fixture around Hobbs basketball. He left for spells – to attend college in Colorado, to coach in Gallup, Farmington and Levelland. But Abbott was a Hobbs guy, an Eagle first. Abbott, who passed away recently, attended Hobbs High, graduating in 1959. He was one of legendary Hobbs coach Ralph Tasker’s …

“What do I do next?” or “now what?” These are just a few of the questions people ask themselves once they retire. For some, the answer means spending time with family, friends, or relaxing and enjoying free time to pursue your hobbies. For three-time Hobbs Eagle state champion, and former Red Raider, Ronald Ross, retiring from playing basketball professionally led …

ALBUQUERQUE — This time last season, the Hobbs girls’ basketball team and its fans left The Pit disappointed when the Lady Eagles lost in the state championship game to West Mesa. Saturday, the No. 1 ranked Lady Eagles played in a crowdless Pit as they beat No. 3 Volcano Vista 58-43 to win their second title in three years, and …

It’s that time of the year, the Hobbs Holiday Tournament is upon us. This is the third annual tournament for the girls’ basketball team. The Hobbs Lady Eagles are the back-to-back champions and looking for the three-peat. This edition sees three returning teams from last year and four debutants. Of the three returns, Aztec and Canutillo are the only teams …

The 61st annual Hobbs Holiday Tournament gets underway on Thursday at Tasker Arena and it should be a good one. Once again, there will be three teams making tournament debuts. Lawton Eisenhower, from Oklahoma, El Paso Montwood, from Texas, and Artesia will all be new entrants this season. As for the rest of the boys’ field, Cleveland and Canutillo will …

Reeves named Eagles basketball coach For the past 19 years, Shelby Reeves has been an assistant coach with the Hobbs basketball program. Tuesday afternoon, he became just the fourth head coach for the Eagles in the last 68 years. Reeves has been an Eagle his entire life. “I am very excited, very, very excited,” Reeves said. “I felt like this …

Practices after a loss typically aren’t fun for players, especially when they play for a coach like Joe Carpenter on the Hobbs girls’ basketball team. The practices consist of incredible attention to detail. Every little thing is a big thing. Optimal effort is required, the highest level of competitiveness is expected, and one who doesn’t treat the practice accordingly is …

Eagles’ Strasner leaves his mark on the court By Jason Farmer There’s no doubt Hobbs basketball star Clay Strasner had a huge impact on the Eagles this season. The senior scored 802 points and grabbed 251 rebounds, as the Eagles tallied the most wins (21-10) for the program since winning the state championship in 2014-15 with a 30-2 record. Because …