The Dove Creek Bulldogs will face off against the Nucla Mustangs at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Dove Creek is coming into the game hot, having won their last eight games.
Last Tuesday, Dove Creek was able to grind out a solid win over Ouray, taking the game 49-36.
Josh Kibel
| 02/04/25 vs Ouray | 22 |
| 02/01/25 @ Telluride | 16 |
| 01/30/25 @ Non Varsity Opponent | 19 |
Dove Creek can attribute much of their success to Josh Kibel, who almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine steals, and Sheldon Gardner, who went 6 of 15 on his way to 18 points and six steals. The matchup was Kibel's third in a row with at least 16 points. Nicholas Aragon was another key player, putting up a point and four steals.
Dove Creek smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Nucla). They walked away with a 66-54 victory over Telluride on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Mustangs.
Nucla's win came from a few key players Dove Creek will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brycen Rummel, who almost dropped a triple-double on 18 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. He has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 33 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Slade Gillen, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 18 boards.
Dove Creek pushed their record up to 12-5 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.7 points over those games. As for Nucla, their record now sits at 13-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Dove Creek has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 35.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Nucla struggles in that department as they've been averaging 38.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Dove Creek strolled past Nucla in their previous meeting last Tuesday by a score of 60-43. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Rummel, who went 10 for 22 to rack up 25 points in addition to seven rebounds and four steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Dove Creek still be able to contain Rummel? There's only one way to find out.
