The Nixon Mustangs waltzed into Thursday's matchup with six straight wins but they left with seven. They breezed by Bishop at home to the tune of 97-52. The victory was all the more spectacular given Nixon's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 223rd, while Bishop is ranked 38th).
Nixon was led to victory by Mason Vela and Jose Escobar. Vela went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 18 points and 6 assists, while Escobar scored 22 points. The game was Vela's tenth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Eric Santillan, who scored 14 points.
When it comes to explaining why Bishop lost, one person who can't be blamed is Isaac Colunga. Despite the final result, he scored 14 points. Colunga scored a full 26.9% of Bishop's points, the second time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Daniel Salinas was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Nixon pushed their record up to 8-2 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 80.5 points per game. As for Bishop, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-1.
Coincidentally, Nixon and Bishop will both be playing Madison the next time they take the court. Bishop will head out to face Madison at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, while Nixon will host them at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
