Basketball Recap: Rio Rico Takes Loss Despite Strong Performances from Ramsess Bolivar and Santiago Merino

Rio Rico was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They took a 73-61 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Douglas Bulldogs. The Hawks were not able to make up for their defeat to the Bulldogs from their previous meeting back in January of 2024.

Santiago Merino and Ramsess Bolivar certainly did their best on Friday to avoid the loss. Merino went 5 of 8 en route to 14 points along with five rebounds and three steals, while Bolivar posted 13 points in addition to six assists and five boards. The dominant performance gave Bolivar a new career-high in assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Francisco Alday, who put up ten points and six boards.

Douglas was led to victory by Ryan Felix and Diego Lopez. Felix scored 22 points along with six steals and three blocks, while Lopez went 9 for 22 on his way to 22 points and five rebounds. Elmer Maytorena was another key player, putting up eight points and three steals.

Rio Rico's loss dropped their record down to 1-15. As for Douglas, the win snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 5-7 record.

Rio Rico has already played their next contest, a 77-29 defeat against Cholla on the 15th. As for Douglas, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 75-70 victory against Desert View on the 13th.