Basketball Recap: Lamar Comes Up Short

On Saturday, the Lamar Thunder were within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 57-52 to the Fort Lupton Bluedevils. That's two games in a row now that the Thunder have lost by exactly five points.

Despite the loss, Lamar saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Jacob Dunning went 10 of 21 on his way to 27 points in addition to eight boards and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Dunning has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabrian Jacobs, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Even though they lost, Lamar smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in eight consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Lamar's record is now 4-2. As for Fort Lupton, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season.

Lamar will venture away from home to take on Salida at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Lamar is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.8 points per game this season. Fort Lupton will take on Eaton in a holiday battle at at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Fort Lupton's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four contests.