Basketball Recap: Sebastian Ruvalcaba's Big Game Can't Quite Lead El Paso over Canutillo

Tigers

Previous 5 Games

01/17/25 vs Canutillo	40-52
01/14/25 @ Burges	69-56
01/10/25 vs Jefferson	51-27
01/07/25 @ San Elizario	43-39
12/28/24 vs Oklahoma City S	51-64

El Paso was the 56-54 winner over Canutillo when they last played one another back in February of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The El Paso Tigers took a 52-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Canutillo Eagles on Friday. The Tigers' defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.

El Paso lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Sebastian Ruvalcaba, who posted eight points. Troy Bunn also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.

Even though they lost, El Paso 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 12 offensive rebounds in five consecutive matchups.

Canutillo got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jay Taylor out in front who went 6 of 10 on his way to 15 points. Taylor continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jovanni Ortiz, who went 5 for 7 en route to 13 points.

El Paso's loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 14-12. As for Canutillo, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season.

El Paso has already played their next game, an 80-43 defeat against Chapin on the 21st. As for Canutillo, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, a 65-55 loss against Andress on the 21st.