Lovington is 0-10 against Artesia since April of 2021 but things could change on Friday. The Lovington Wildcats will host the Artesia Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. Lovington is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.6 points per game this season.
Lovington is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 85-35 win over Chaparral. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked 27th, while the Lobos are ranked 106th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lovington got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ashelynn Borunda out in front who shot 4-for-7 from downtown and dropped a double-double on 32 points and ten rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Borunda has scored at least a third of Lovington's points. Another player making a difference was Malaiya Castro, who went 10 for 16 en route to 27 points in addition to seven assists and three steals.
Lovington was working as a unit and finished the game with 24 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Artesia was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They were outmatched by Hobbs and fell 79-30. The Bulldogs were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 57-17.
Lovington is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.6 points per game. As for Artesia, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-11.
Lovington came up short against Artesia in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, falling 51-46. Will Lovington have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
