Basketball Recap: Christopher Mena and Jayden Rousseau Secure Win for Crystal City

Crystal City lost to Lytle on January 3rd, but they didn't allow them the same satisfaction on Tuesday. The Crystal City Javelinas put the hurt on the Lytle Pirates with a sharp 81-58 victory. The Javelinas have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matchups by 21 points or more this season.

Leading Crystal City to victory were Jayden Rousseau and Christopher Mena. Rousseau went 12 of 20 on his way to 30 points in addition to eight boards and five assists, while Mena went 9 for 22 en route to 20 points along with five assists and five rebounds. With that strong performance, Rousseau is now averaging an impressive 15.4 points per game. Another player making a difference was Jordan Urrabazo, who went 5 of 9 en route to 12 points.

Crystal City smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 9 offensive boards per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 12.7.

Lytle's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Zacharee Perez, who almost dropped a triple-double on 13 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists. Those 11 assists gave Perez a new career-high. Seth Pierce was another key player, going 10 for 16 on his way to 21 points and six boards.

Crystal City pushed their record up to 16-7 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 26.2 points. As for Lytle, the defeat snapped their winning streak at seven games and leaves them with a 16-9 record.

Crystal City will venture away from home to square off against Hondo at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Hondo's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last nine games. As for Lytle, they will take on Natalia at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Lytle is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 70.1 points per game this season.