The George West Longhorns will head out on the road to square off against the Mathis Pirates at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. George West has now lost seven straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since January 5.
George West pushed their score all the way to 68 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. The match between them and Taft wasn't particularly close, with George West falling 86-68. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for George West in their matchups with the Greyhounds: they've now lost three in a row.
Despite their defeat, George West saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Tristen Blevins, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten assists, was perhaps the best of all. It was the first time this season that Blevins posted eight or more assists. The team also got some help courtesy of William Balew, who scored 16 points.
Even though Mathis has not done well against the Owls recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Mathis walked away with a 42-34 victory over the Owls.
Arik Cuellar went supernova for Mathis, dropping a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds. Ashton Quesada was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with two steals.
George West dropped their record down to 13-15 with that defeat, which was their third straight at home. That rough patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.7 points per game. As for Mathis, they now have a winning record of 14-13.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: George West have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mathis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
George West came up short against the Pirates when the teams last played back in January, falling 70-61. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Quesada, who scored 24 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Now that George West knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
