Basketball Game Preview: Estancia Bears vs. Clayton Yellowjackets

Estancia is on a five-game streak of home losses, Clayton a three-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck will change on Thursday. The Estancia Bears will host the Clayton Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Estancia is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Tucumcari on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Estancia had to suffer through a 68-31 loss at the hands of Tucumcari. The game marked the Bears' lowest-scoring match so far this season.

Justin Rubio

Rebounds

02/11/25 @ Tucumcari	15
02/08/25 @ Raton	13
02/06/25 @ Pecos	9
02/01/25 @ Santa Rosa	9
01/30/25 vs Tucumcari	9
+ 15 more games

Estancia's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Justin Rubio, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and 15 boards, and Daniel Hernandez, who dropped a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. With that strong performance, Rubio is now averaging an impressive 8.2 rebounds per game.

Even though they lost, Estancia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in six consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Clayton ended up a good deal behind Santa Rosa on Saturday and lost 76-62. While losing is never fun, the Yellowjackets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked 86th, while the Lions are ranked 24th).

Estancia's defeat dropped their record down to 5-18. As for Clayton, they now have a losing record of 10-11.

Estancia suffered a grim 65-44 defeat to Clayton when the teams last played back in January. Will Estancia have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.