The Walsenburg Panthers had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.7 points), and they went ahead and made it eight on Thursday. They walked away with a 51-39 victory over Las Animas. For Walsenburg, this counts as revenge for the 47-33 defeat the Trojans walked away with the last time they faced one another back in February of 2023.
Elton Chavez was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 16 points and 19 rebounds. Chavez is crushing the rebound category: he's posted at least nine every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Nino Cisneros, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds and four steals.
Walsenburg's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-4. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.5 points per game. As for Las Animas, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-6.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Walsenburg will take on the Spartans on Friday. Swallows Charter Academy will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Colorado Rankings (they are ranked 294th, while the Panthers are ranked 135th). As for Las Animas, they won't have much time to rest: their next match is against the Chargers at 8:00 p.m. on February 2nd. Crowley County is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt want to keep things rolling.
