The Pine Hill Warriors's game last Saturday was a tough loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Thursday. They walked away with a 49-36 victory over Estancia. This was payback for Pine Hill, who suffered a 66-51 loss the last time these two teams met.
Channing James continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 19 points along with nine rebounds. He 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 Rondy Henio, who scored five points along with six rebounds and two blocks.
Estancia's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Daniel Hernandez, who scored six points along with nine rebounds and three steals. Another player making a difference was Justin Rubio, who scored nine points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Pine Hill's win bumped their record up to 5-6. As for Estancia, they bumped their record down to 2-7 with that defeat, which was their third straight at home.
Pine Hill will take on Navajo Pine at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in New Mexico (Navajo Pine is ranked 107th, while Pine Hill is ranked 117th). Estancia won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Capitan at 12:30 p.m. on January 12th. Capitan is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.
