The Rio Rancho Rams struggled with threes on Friday (the Navajo Prep Eagles had nine more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Rio Rancho's tough 72-52 loss to Navajo Prep might stick with them for a while. Rio Rancho has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
When it comes to explaining why Rio Rancho lost, one person who can't be blamed is Jayden Johnson. Despite the final result, he scored 18 points. The match was Johnson's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Kevin Archuleta was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with three steals.
It was another big night for Jude Thomas, who scored 32 points along with eight assists and five rebounds for Navajo Prep. Thomas continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Xavier Nez, who went 6 for 7 from beyond the arc en route to 20 points and 2 assists.
Rio Rancho's loss dropped their record down to 5-4. As for Navajo Prep, their win bumped their record up to 7-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Rio Rancho will square off against Capital at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in New Mexico (Capital is ranked 49th, while Rio Rancho is ranked 29th). Navajo Prep will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Miyamura at 7:00 p.m. on January 11th.
