Basketball Recap: Kim/Branson Takes a Loss

After flying high against La Veta last Saturday, Kim/Branson came back down to earth. The Kim/Branson Mustangs fell 70-59 to the Sierra Grande Panthers on Tuesday. The loss continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now lost five in a row.

When it comes to explaining why Kim/Branson lost, don't look at Kolter Cranson. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 16 points and 13 boards. Kim/Branson is 6-2 when Cranson posts eight or more rebounds, but 1-2 otherwise. Will Doherty was another key player, putting up 13 points in addition to five boards and five steals.

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Previous 1 Games

01/28/25 - Away

59-70 L

Even though they lost, Kim/Branson smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

Aron Ojeda was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 27 points and ten rebounds for Sierra Grande. Ojeda's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Rolando Najera, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine boards.

Kim/Branson's defeat dropped their record down to 7-4. As for Sierra Grande, the win was the sixth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 10-2.

Kim/Branson will take on Walsh at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Kim/Branson knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past four games -- so hopefully Walsh likes a good challenge. As for Sierra Grande, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Moffat at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Sierra Grande is facing Moffat at the right time seeing as Moffat is stuck on a three-game losing streak.