Basketball Game Preview: Nucla Mustangs vs. Dove Creek Bulldogs

The Nucla Mustangs will head out to face off against the Dove Creek Bulldogs at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Dove Creek will be up against a hot Nucla team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Nucla took down Dolores 55-37 on Friday.

Nucla's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Brycen Rummel, who almost dropped a triple-double on 16 points, 12 boards, and nine assists. Rummel has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 30 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Slade Gillen, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Nucla smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in eight consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Dove Creek entered their tilt with Dolores on Saturday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They came out on top against the Bears by a score of 55-46.

Dove Creek pushed their record up to 8-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.0 points per game. As for Nucla, their win bumped their record up to 11-3.

Everything went Nucla's way against Dove Creek in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as Nucla made off with a 52-32 victory. Does Nucla have another victory up their sleeve, or will Dove Creek turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.