Basketball Game Preview: Nucla Mustangs vs. Mancos Bluejays

Nucla is 1-9 against Mancos since December of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Nucla Mustangs will host the Mancos Bluejays. Nucla is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.1 points per game this season.

On Tuesday, Nucla ended up a good deal behind Dove Creek and lost 60-43.

Despite the loss, Nucla got top-tier performance from Brycen Rummel, who went 10 for 22 on his way to 25 points in addition to seven boards and four steals. Rummel is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 31 games he's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Slade Gillen, who posted eight points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Mancos was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their 16th straight defeat dating back to last season. They received a blow as they fell 51-37 to Telluride.

Nucla's loss ended a six-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 11-4. As for Mancos, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-15.

Nucla took their win against Mancos in their previous meeting on January 11th by a conclusive 58-32. Will Nucla repeat their success, or does Mancos have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.