Preview: Crystal City Javelinas vs. Natalia Mustangs
Crystal City is 4-0 against Natalia since December of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Crystal City Javelinas will head out on the road to face off against the Natalia Mustangs at 8:00 p.m. Crystal City has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 417 points over their last five matches.
Crystal City posted their biggest victory yet this season on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 95-59 win over Dilley at home. Given Crystal City's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 672nd, while Dilley is ranked 1501st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Crystal City to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jayden Rousseau, who scored 30 points along with five rebounds and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Rousseau has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Eli Mata, who scored 16 points along with eight assists and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Natalia over Hondo in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Natalia took down Hondo 66-48. The victory was nothing new for Natalia as they're now sitting on three straight.
Crystal City is on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 15 games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-11 record this season. As for Natalia, their win bumped their record up to 18-8.
Everything came up roses for Crystal City against Natalia in their previous matchup back in February of 2023 as the squad secured a 79-37 win. Will Crystal City repeat their success, or does Natalia have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
