Basketball Recap: Celeste Marquez's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Denver West over Manual

If Denver West was riding high fresh off their 47-15 takedown of Englewood last Saturday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The contest between the Denver West Cowboys and the Manual Thunderbolts didn't end well, with the Denver West Cowboys falling 59-44. The loss continues a trend for the Cowboys in their matchups with the Thunderbolts: they've now lost four in a row.

Denver West lost on Tuesday despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Celeste Marquez, who went 6 of 15 en route to 20 points and four steals. That was a full 45.5% of Denver West's points, marking the third time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Alesha Munoz, who put up 14 points and five assists.

vs

Previous 1 Games

01/14/25 - Away

44-59 L

Even though they lost, Denver West 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 13 offensive rebounds in seven consecutive matches.

It was another big night for Dayjah Fox, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 18 rebounds for Manual. Fox has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more blocks the last ten times she's played. Jaci Collins-Falcon was another key player, putting up 16 points and seven boards.

Denver West's defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 6-5. As for Manual, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 8-1.

Denver West didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 39-25 loss against DSST: Cedar on the 17th. Manual has also already played their next contest, a 34-31 win against DSST: Montview on the 17th.