Preview: Tucumcari Rattlers vs. Santa Rosa Lions
Tucumcari has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. The Tucumcari Rattlers and the Santa Rosa Lions will face off at 5:30 p.m. on January 23rd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Friday, Tucumcari came up short against Robertson and fell 45-35. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Tucumcari in their matchups with Robertson: they've now lost four in a row.
Despite the loss, Tucumcari had strong showings from Caylee Benavidez, who scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and seven blocks, and Kyla Lopez, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Lopez has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 13 times she's played.
Meanwhile, Santa Rosa's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fourth straight loss. They were beaten by Menaul 58-18. Santa Rosa was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 37-10.
Tucumcari's defeat dropped their record down to 12-3. As for Santa Rosa, they bumped their record down to 2-12 with that defeat, which was their sixth straight at home.
Everything came up roses for Tucumcari against Santa Rosa in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 as the squad secured a 58-26 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Tucumcari since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
