Basketball Game Preview: Penasco Panthers vs. Escalante Lobos

Penasco hasn't had much luck against Escalante recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. Both will face off at 1:00 p.m. without much rest having both just played. Penasco is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.3 points per game this season.

While Penasco didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Questa 69-35. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 41-12.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Penasco to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kaileb Atencio, who went 10 for 15 on his way to 25 points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Angel Romero, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten assists.

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

Meanwhile, Escalante beat Dulce 36-28 on Friday.

Escalante has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.3 points per game. As for Penasco, their victory bumped their record up to 7-5.

Penasco suffered a grim 63-37 defeat to Escalante in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Will Penasco have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.