Basketball Recap: Lovington Comes Up Short

Lovington and Hope Christian squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but Lovington had to settle for second. They took a 48-44 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hope Christian Huskies. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Wildcats of the 47-44 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in March of 2023.

Ashelynn Borunda

Steals

01/04/25 vs Jal	12
12/17/24 @ Kermit	11
03/07/25 vs Hope Christian	9
01/09/25 @ Tatum	8
01/24/25 @ Chaparral	6
+ 18 more games

When it comes to explaining why Lovington lost, don't look at Ashelynn Borunda. Despite the final result, she almost dropped a double-double with 15 points and nine steals. Lovington is 6-2 when Borunda posts five or more steals, but 10-11 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Malaiya Castro, who posted 12 points and five boards.

Even though they lost, Lovington was working as a unit and finished the game with ten assists. This was only their seventh loss (out of 22 games) when they've passed the ball that well.

Hope Christian got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ava Dickenson out in front who scored 13 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Bri Bishop, who had 13 points and five rebounds.

Lovington has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 16-13 record this season. Hope Christian is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-11 record this season.

Lovington does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Hope Christian, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 58-18 loss against Kirtland Central on the 11th.