The De Beque Dragons entered their tilt with the Nucla Mustangs with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. De Beque had just enough and edged the Mustangs out 58-55. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
De Beque's win on Saturday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jace Graham, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 16 rebounds. Graham hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for seven straight games. Another player making a difference was Burke Largent, who scored 20 points along with two steals.
Brycen Rummel and Steele Arnold certainly did their best on Saturday to avoid the loss. Rummel dropped a double-double on 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Arnold scored 17 points. Rummel hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. Slade Gillen was another key contributor, scoring five points along with 11 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Nucla smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
De Beque's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.6 points per game. As for Nucla, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 7-5.
De Beque will be playing in front of their home fans against the Cowboys at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Plateau Valley has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 672 points over their last ten games. As for Nucla, they will head out on the road to square off against the Bluejays at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Mancos is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 63.7 points per game this season.
