Having just played yesterday, the Nucla Mustangs will get right back to it and host the Dolores Bears at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Nucla is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They walked away with a 65-53 victory over De Beque on Thursday. The win was nothing new for the Mustangs as they're now sitting on three straight.
| 01/23/25 vs De Beque | 3 |
| 01/16/25 @ Ouray | 3 |
| 01/11/25 @ Mancos | 2 |
| 01/09/25 vs Ridgway | 5 |
| 12/21/24 @ Dove Creek | 2 |
Brycen Rummel and Holten McCluer were among the main playmakers for Nucla as the former almost dropped a triple-double on 12 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists and the latter went 11 of 14 en route to 23 points and five boards. Rummel is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 29 games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Slade Gillen, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and ten rebounds.
Nucla smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in seven consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Dolores hadn't done well against Ouray recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. Dolores came out on top in a nail-biter against Ouray, sneaking past 59-57. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bears.
Nucla better focus on containing Trayton Traweek and Koby McClellan as the pair were huge in Dolores' win. Traweek went 11 for 26 on his way to 26 points and eight boards, while McClellan posted 22 points and five assists. That makes it three consecutive games in which Traweek has scored at least a third of Dolores' points. Michael Nielson was another key player, putting up two points along with ten rebounds and three steals.
Dolores pushed their record up to 4-8 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.7 points per game. As for Nucla, their win bumped their record up to 10-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Nucla has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Dolores struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Nucla strolled past Dolores in their previous matchup back in January of 2024 by a score of 62-47. Will Nucla repeat their success, or does Dolores have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
