Basketball Recap: Escalante Comes Up Short

If Escalante was riding high fresh off their 61-24 takedown of Telos last Saturday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Escalante Moquis had to suffer through a 87-50 loss at the hands of the Green River Pirates. The Moquis were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Pirates apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in December of 2023.

Escalante's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Rayce Jenkins, who posted 15 points and five rebounds. Jenkins has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last seven times he's played. Another player making a difference was Jaxen Cottam, who scored 11 points and six boards.

Jason Hernandez was his usual excellent self, going 7 for 11 from beyond the arc on his way to 35 points and five assists for Green River. The dominant performance gave Hernandez a new career-high in points. Rolando Anguiano was another key player, going 6 of 10 en route to 17 points and seven rebounds.

Escalante dropped their record down to 5-8 with the loss, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Green River, the victory was the eighth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 10-5.

Escalante has already played their next contest, a 92-46 defeat against Panguitch on the 16th. As for Green River, they will be playing at home against Monticello at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Green River knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past eight games -- so hopefully Monticello likes a good challenge.