Sangre de Cristo is 6-0 against Primero since February of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Sangre de Cristo Thunderbirds' road trip will continue as they head out to face the Primero Bulldogs at 1:00 p.m. on January 19th. Hopefully Sangre de Cristo focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 27 last Saturday.
Sangre de Cristo struggled with assists last Saturday (Trinidad had seven more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Sangre de Cristo fell 48-41 to Trinidad.
Despite their defeat, Sangre de Cristo saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Idahlia Garcia, who scored nine points along with 13 rebounds and seven blocks, was perhaps the best of all. Audrina Knorr was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with five steals.
Primero can finally bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Saturday. They put the hurt on Walsenburg with a sharp 50-25 win. The win was just what Primero needed coming off of a 50-19 defeat in their prior game.
Primero found their leader in underclassman Isabela Maldonado, who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. That makes it eight consecutive games in which Maldonado has scored at least a third of Primero's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jocelyn Rivera, who scored five points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Sangre de Cristo's defeat dropped their record down to 5-2. As for Primero, their win bumped their record up to 4-5.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Sangre de Cristo have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 37.9 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Primero, though, as they've been averaging only 30.5 rebounds per game. Given Sangre de Cristo's sizeable advantage in that area, Primero will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Sangre de Cristo against Primero in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 as the team secured a 54-19 victory. With Sangre de Cristo ahead 38-6 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
