Basketball Recap: Natalia Takes a Loss

While it was all tied up 29-29 at halftime, Natalia was not quite Crystal City's equal in the second half on Friday. They fell 65-56 to the Crystal City Javelinas. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 1299th, while the Javelinas are ranked 636th).

Crystal City was led to victory by Christopher Mena and Jordan Urrabazo. Mena dropped a double-double on 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Urrabazo went 11 for 21 en route to 24 points. Mena's evening made it 13 games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Rick Rios, who posted five points in addition to six boards and three steals.

Natalia is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 15-19. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.0 points over those games. As for Crystal City, they are on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 17 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 19-7 record this season.

Looking ahead, Natalia will venture away from home to take on Cotulla at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Crystal City, they will host Jourdanton at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Crystal City knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 13 matchups -- so hopefully Jourdanton likes a good challenge.