Telluride is 8-2 against Nucla since January of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Telluride Miners will be playing at home against the Nucla Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. Telluride is coming into the contest hot, having won their last five games.
Last Tuesday, Telluride earned a 59-47 victory over Dolores. Given Telluride's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 150th, while Dolores is ranked 313th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Telluride's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Townes Merritt led the charge by scoring 24 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Merritt has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Grayson Berry, who scored 17 points.
Nucla can finally bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Saturday. They came out on top against Sangre de Cristo by a score of 49-39. The win was just what Nucla needed coming off of a 75-55 defeat in their prior matchup.
Nucla relied on the efforts of Steele Arnold, who scored 16 points, and Brycen Rummel, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds. Rummel is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games he's played. Another player making a difference was Slade Gillen, who scored ten points along with five rebounds.
Telluride's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-4. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.3 points per game. As for Nucla, their win bumped their record up to 8-6.
Telluride beat Nucla 53-42 in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Does Telluride have another victory up their sleeve, or will Nucla turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
