Nucla is 0-10 against Dove Creek since February of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Nucla Mustangs will be playing at home against the Dove Creek Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. Hopefully Nucla focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 28 on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, things could have been worse for Nucla, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 49-31 loss to Plateau Valley. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Nucla in their matchups with Plateau Valley: they've now lost three in a row.
Nucla's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Cadence Shaw, who scored five points along with five rebounds and four steals, and Shay Snyder who scored seven points along with six rebounds and three blocks. Shaw hasn't dropped below two steals for nine straight games.
Meanwhile, Dove Creek waltzed into their matchup on Monday with 11 straight wins but they left with 12. They took their match at home with ease, bagging a 64-16 win over Telluride. Dove Creek has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six games by 22 points or more this season.
Dove Creek got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Ralynn Hickman out in front who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 12 rebounds. Hickman also posted eight assists for the first time this season. Kalie Gatlin was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with seven assists and three steals.
Nucla has not been sharp recently as the team has lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-9 record this season. As for Dove Creek, they pushed their record up to 15-2 with that victory, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Nucla have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Dove Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Nucla ended up a good deal behind Dove Creek in their previous matchup back in January, losing 52-35. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Gatlin, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Now that Nucla knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
