The North Park Wildcats had to hit the road for their first game and sadly it wasn't the result they were hoping for. They took a 53-42 hit to the loss column at the hands of Dove Creek on Friday. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for North Park in their matchups with Dove Creek: they've now lost four in a row.
When it comes to explaining why North Park lost, one person who can't be blamed is Gavin Pittington. Despite the final result, he scored 21 points. Aiden Pittington was another key contributor, scoring 7 points along with 8 rebounds.
North Park struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Dove Creek pulled down 19.
Dove Creek was led to victory by Liam Hassell and Sheldon Gardner. Hassell dropped a double-double on 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Gardner dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Gardner has scored at least 25% of Dove Creek's points. Another player making a difference was Trevan Ivie, who scored 6 points.
North Park's loss dropped their record down to 0-1. As for Dove Creek, their victory bumped their record up to 1-3.
North Park will head out on the road to face off against Ouray at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. As for Dove Creek, they will take on De Beque at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. De Beque presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Dove Creek in Colorado (De Beque is ranked 71st, while Dove Creek is ranked 267th).
