The Lamar Thunder will head out on the road to face off against the James Irwin Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Lamar fought the good fight in their overtime match against the Mustangs on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell to the Mustangs 52-48. It was the first time this season that Lamar let down their fans at home.
Lamar's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Jacob Dunning, who scored 14 points along with two steals, and Deyago Vasquez who scored 14 points along with six steals. Dunning is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. The team also got some help courtesy of Alex Williams, who scored six points along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, after a string of ten wins, James Irwin's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They were the victim of a tough 64-44 loss at the hands of Salida. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points James Irwin has scored all season.
Despite their defeat, James Irwin saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Gabriel Rubio, who scored 18 points along with four steals, was perhaps the best of all. It was the first time this season that Rubio scored 15 or more points. Matthew Lebron was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with three steals.
Lamar's loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-4. As for James Irwin, their defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 13-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Lamar have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like James Irwin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lamar beat the Jaguars 70-62 when the teams last played back in February of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was James Irwin's Brody McKinney, who scored 14 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Lamar to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
