Basketball Game Preview: Escalante Moquis vs. Dugway Mustangs

Having just played yesterday, the Escalante Moquis will head out on the road to face off against the Dugway Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Escalante is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Wayne on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Escalante came up short against Wayne, falling 71-50. The Moquis were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 32-10.

Despite the loss, Escalante got top-tier performance from Rayce Jenkins, who went 9 for 15 on his way to 23 points and five rebounds. Jenkins has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last six times he's played. Jaxen Cottam was another key player, putting up seven points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Dugway was beaten by Merit Preparatory Academy 100-37 back in December of 2024. The Mustangs haven't had much luck with the Knights recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.

Escalante will need focus on slowing down Tanner Thackeray, one of several Dugway players who made an impact when they last played. He posted 15 points. That was a full 40.5% of Dugway's points, marking the seventh time in a row he's put up more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gary Williams Jr, who had 11 points.

Escalante's defeat was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 3-7. As for Dugway, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.

Escalante skirted past Dugway 47-44 in their previous matchup back in January of 2019. The rematch might be a little tougher for Escalante since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.