Basketball Game Preview: Manzanola Bobcats vs. De Beque Dragons

The Manzanola Bobcats and the De Beque Dragons will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Manzanola has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with three straight losses, while De Beque will come in with six straight wins.

Manzanola is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Cheraw on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Bobcats took a blow against the Wolverines, falling 60-26. The Bobcats were down 48-22 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask De Beque). They walked away with a 72-59 victory over Hayden on Saturday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Dragons' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while the Tigers are ranked 140th).

De Beque's win came from a few key players Manzanola will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jace Graham, who dropped a double-double with 26 points and 19 boards. He has been hot for a while, having posted 11 or more rebounds the last 13 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Manual Soto, who went 7-for-10 on his way to 17 points and three steals.

De Beque was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

De Beque's record is now 6-0. As for Manzanola, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.