Manitou Springs is 9-1 against La Junta since January of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Manitou Springs Mustangs will head out to take on the La Junta Tigers at 1:30 p.m. Manitou Springs will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Last Monday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Manitou Springs beat Rye 30-26.
01/27/25 vs Rye | 6 |
01/24/25 @ James Irwin | 7 |
01/22/25 @ Florence | 3 |
01/10/25 @ St. Mary's | 2 |
01/06/25 vs Pueblo Centennial | 7 |
Among those leading the charge was Aylin Gomez, who posted nine points along with six boards and six steals. She has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last nine times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Madison Anderson, who put up three points and four steals.
Manitou Springs smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Rye only pulled down 11 offensive boards.
Meanwhile, La Junta lost 44-24 to St. Mary's on Tuesday. The Tigers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the defeat, La Junta saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Isabelle Aragon earned 12 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. Aragon continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played.
Manitou Springs pushed their record up to 7-6 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.9 points per game. As for La Junta, their loss dropped their record down to 5-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Manitou Springs has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.8 boards per game. However, it's not like La Junta struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Manitou Springs strolled past La Junta in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 by a score of 48-32. Will Manitou Springs repeat their success, or does La Junta have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.