The De Beque Dragons will face off against the Nucla Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
De Beque is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Meeker on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Dragons took a blow against the Cowboys, falling 65-25. Having soared to a lofty 63 points in the game before, the Dragons couldn't push the score so high this time.
Avery Rigsby was De Beque's leading scorer, having posted nine points. Rigsby also led the team in rebounds with nine.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Nucla over Dolores in every quarter on their way to victory on Thursday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Mustangs blew the Bears out of the water with a 45-14 final score. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 games by 23 points or more this season.
Nucla's win came from a few key players that De Beque will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Shay Snyder, who posted nine points in addition to six boards and three steals. She is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as she's posted one of at least 50% in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Darcy Bray, who had seven points along with nine rebounds and six assists.
Nucla was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Dolores only racked up two.
Nucla pushed their record up to 21-2 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 19.8 points on average over those games. As for De Beque, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost six of their last eight matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: De Beque has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Nucla struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
De Beque was taken down by Nucla 45-18 when the teams last played back in January. Can the Dragons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
