Basketball Recap: Espanola Valley Proves Higher State Rank Is No Mistake

While Espanola Valley didn't have the best season last year (they finished 12-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They secured a 66-61 W over the Manzano Monarchs on Friday. Given the Sundevils' advantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked 14th, while the Monarchs are ranked 62nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

When it comes to explaining why Manzano lost, don't look at Kai Youngberg. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 boards. Those 20 points gave Youngberg a new career-high. Bryce Johnson was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 16 points and nine rebounds.

Espanola Valley's win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Manzano, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-5.

Espanola Valley wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 55-51 victory against Navajo Prep on the 28th. As for Manzano, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 56-49 loss against Sandia Prep on the 28th.