Basketball Recap: Jax Poole's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Loveland over Rocky Mountain

Loveland easily dispatched Fort Collins last Tuesday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Loveland Red Wolves fell just short of the Rocky Mountain Lobos by a score of 68-65 on Friday. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Red Wolves came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while the Lobos are ranked 156th).

Loveland's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jax Poole, who went 5 for 7 en route to 16 points. Another player making a difference was Zayne Desouza, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten boards.

Even though they lost, Loveland smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Rocky Mountain got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Daniel Mbadinga out in front who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Mbadinga a new career-high in blocks (five). Peyton Matkin was another key player, putting up 16 points.

Red Wolves

Previous 5 Games

01/17/25 @ Rocky Mountain	65-68
01/14/25 @ Fort Collins	66-38
01/11/25 vs Thompson Valley	72-66
01/10/25 @ Poudre	48-42
01/07/25 vs Fossil Ridge	49-57

With the defeat, Loveland broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 10-3. As for Rocky Mountain, their record is now 5-8.

Loveland will venture away from home to square off against Greeley West at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Loveland is facing Greeley West at the right time seeing as Greeley West is stuck on a seven-game losing streak. As for Rocky Mountain, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 54-46 loss against Dakota Ridge on the 18th.