The Walsenburg Panthers entered their tilt with the Sierra Grande Panthers with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. Walsenburg secured a 53-48 W over Sierra Grande on Tuesday. This was payback for Walsenburg, who suffered a 53-36 loss the last time these two teams met.
Walsenburg's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Elton Chavez, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 19 rebounds. Chavez is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Gabe Barela was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Sierra Grande lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Brian Ontiveros, who scored 19 points along with two steals. Ontiveros hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Jadyn Martinez, who scored 15 points along with five rebounds.
Walsenburg pushed their record up to 8-4 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.8 points per game. As for Sierra Grande, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-3.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Walsenburg will square off against La Veta at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. La Veta is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak. As for Sierra Grande, they will head out on the road to square off against Creede at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Creede focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 23 last Saturday.
