The Lamar Thunder will square off against the St. Mary's Pirates at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
On Saturday, Lamar was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 55-49 to Manitou Springs. The Thunder haven't had much luck with the Mustangs recently, as the team has come up short the last seven times they've met.
Diego Estrada
| 02/15/25 @ Manitou Springs | 19 |
| 02/12/24 vs Rocky Ford | 16 |
| 12/21/24 @ Buena Vista | 13 |
| 02/08/25 @ Banning Lewis Academy | 12 |
| 02/07/25 vs Woodland Park | 11 |
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Diego Estrada, who went 8-for-15 en route to 19 points and six boards. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Gabrian Jacobs, who posted seven points along with 11 rebounds and five steals.
Even though they lost, Lamar smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 15 offensive boards in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for St. Mary's, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Saturday. They pulled ahead with a 77-76 photo finish over Salida on Saturday.
St. Mary's win came from a few key players Lamar will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Bret Stewart, who almost dropped a double-double with 21 points and nine boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeremiah Starr, who went 7-for-12 to rack up 19 points.
St. Mary's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-7. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 77.0 points over those games. As for Lamar, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lamar has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like St. Mary's struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Lamar against St. Mary's when the teams last played back in January of 2024, as the squad secured a 54-19 victory. Will Lamar repeat their success, or does St. Mary's have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
