The Del Norte Tigers were the 45-30 winner over the Cotopaxi Pirates when they last played one another back in January of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. Del Norte took a hard 52-36 fall against Cotopaxi on Saturday.
Del Norte lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Kelby Mondragon, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Mondragon has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Bailey, who scored seven points along with five rebounds and two blocks.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Cotopaxi to victory, but perhaps none more so than Terrance Evans, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. That makes it three consecutive games in which Evans has scored at least a third of Cotopaxi's points. Joel Tezak was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with five rebounds and three blocks.
Del Norte has been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season. As for Cotopaxi, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 6-3.
Del Norte will play host again and welcome Salida, where tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Salida presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Del Norte in Colorado (Salida is ranked 47th, while Del Norte is ranked 270th). As for Cotopaxi, they will head out on the road to take on Custer County at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.
