Danielle Patterson, Mackenzie Latimer and Halle Woods have Hobbs on championship road

The question of whether or not a team with no superstars can win a state championship will be put to the ultimate test in the coming weeks by Hobbs, ranked third in the New Mexico MaxPreps Freeman Rankings.

"We're a blue-collar type team," said Eagles coach Johnny Casaus, whose squad hosts a huge 5A District 4 showdown game against top-ranked Clovis (24-1) on Friday. "We're not a team that's going to outscore you, so if we don't play good defense, we're going to get beat."

Fortunately for the Eagles (21-4), their defense has been sound for most of the season. Despite lacking the star power of some of the other top-ranked teams in the Land of Enchantment, Hobbs is a serious threat to win its first state championship in 10 years because of its ability to lock down teams and control the tempo.

The Eagles are allowing only 40 points per game, grinding out victories in workmanlike fashion. To say the Eagles have mastered the art of winning the close game would be understatement. Hobbs boasts an 8-3 record in games decided by six points or less, including a 50-44 decision over Clovis in the Mel Otero tournament in Rio Rancho on Dec. 14 — the Wildcats' only loss of the season.

Clovis did exact payback in a big way three weeks ago, drilling visiting Hobbs, 45-25. That's what makes Friday's contest all the more tantalizing: Not only is it one of the best rivalries in the state (this despite the fact the schools are separated by 118 miles), but there's also plenty riding on the line. A Hobbs win would force the teams to play again next Tuesday for the right to earn an automatic qualifying berth into the state tournament.

"Winning district is really important because you'll get one of the top seeds," Casaus said. "And that means a home game instead of traveling to the other team's house."

One cannot overstate the importance of playing a home game in a gigantic state like New Mexico, especially for a school like Hobbs, which is located on the southeast corner of the state near the Texas border.

"Well, in 2001 we had to go to Gallup for a playoff game, and that's almost 500 miles away," Casaus said. "That kind of tells you how much you'd have to travel (in a worst-case scenario)."

If Hobbs doesn't earn one of the top eight seeds in the state tournament, it will likely open up with a road game in Albuquerque — a mere 317 miles away. Even though the Eagles are 8-3 on the road and 4-1 on neutral court sites — the latter were basically road contests for Hobbs since it traveled to Las Cruces (255 miles) and Rio Rancho (337 miles) for tournaments — one can see why Casaus would prefer to open up the state tourney at home.

Home or away, Hobbs has emerged as one of the state's best teams because of its tremendous defense, balance and cohesiveness. In senior 5-foot-9 combo guard Mackenzie Latimer, junior 5-9 forward Danielle Patterson and junior 5-11 post Halle Woods, the Eagles have three players who are athletic, long and versatile. Latimer, Patterson and Woods each average around 12 points per game, accounting for 72 percent of the team's offense.

Latimer is the team's best 3-point shooter, Woods gives the team an inside offensive presence and Patterson is the team's top rebounder. The trio also allow Casaus to switch up from a zone to a man-to-man defense with equally devastating results.

Although Hobbs hasn't had a problem getting focused for any opponent this season, Patterson said playing Clovis — the three-time 5A District 4 champion — is an entirely different beast.

"When they're on the schedule, everyone at school lets you know about it," Patterson said. "Whenever we have a home game against them, it's almost a holiday at our school. Everyone comes to the game, and everything is bigger when we play Clovis."

No one knows that better than Casaus, who was an assistant coach at Clovis for 19 years before taking the head coaching position at Hobbs in 2000.

"I would say the rivalry is big-time and real intense," Casaus said. "Both schools back their programs, which makes a big difference in terms of the high level of competition."

Patterson said there's something magical about growing up in a remote city like Hobbs, which has a population of 35,000 but is hours away from the nearest metropolitan area.

"Growing up around here, a lot of people always say they want to get away when they get the chance," Patterson said. "But Hobbs is one of those places that's always close to your heart. Even if people say they won't miss it, most of them eventually do because living in a small town is the only thing they know. Everyone is close here."