The Valencia Jaguars were the 67-37 winner over the Belen Eagles when they last played one another back in February of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. Valencia took a 71-60 hit to the loss column at the hands of Belen on Tuesday. Valencia's defeat continues an unfortunate trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Despite the defeat, Valencia saw an underclassman step up: Jared Porter scored 27 points along with four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Porter has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Diego Baeza, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds.
Jordi Rojo continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines for Belen, scoring 20 points along with seven assists and two steals. Another player making a difference was Jasode Harris, who scored 16 points.
Valencia has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-11 record this season. As for Belen, their win bumped their record up to 8-13.
Valencia will head out on the road to challenge Grants at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in New Mexico (Valencia is ranked 53rd, while Grants is ranked 37th). As for Belen, they will head out on the road to square off against St. Pius X at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Belen's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last 11 matches.
