Basketball Game Preview: Monticello Buckaroo vs. Escalante Moquis

The Monticello Buckaroo will challenge the Escalante Moquis at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Monticello is headed into the match having just suffered their biggest loss since December 14, 2024 on Tuesday. They came up short against Green River, falling 69-45. The Buckaroo haven't had much luck with the Pirates recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Escalante). They claimed a resounding 89-50 win over Monument Valley. The Moquis have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 25 points or more this season.

Escalante's win came from a few key players Monticello will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaxen Cottam, who went 11 for 18 on his way to 25 points along with five rebounds and three steals. That's the most points he has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Rayce Jenkins, who went 8 of 10 en route to 16 points and seven boards.

Escalante was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Escalante is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-10 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 36.7 points. As for Monticello, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-6.