Basketball Recap: Nucla Picks Up Eighth Consecutive Win

Dove Creek kept up with Nucla until halftime on Saturday, but afterwards: not so much. The Mustangs really took it to the Bulldogs for the full four quarters, racking up a 51-20 victory. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six games by 25 points or more this season.

Nucla's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Lantry Galley led the charge by dropping a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards. With that strong performance, Galley is now averaging an impressive 8.4 rebounds per game. Another player making a difference was Shay Snyder, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and ten boards.

Nucla was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Dove Creek only racked up two.

Dove Creek's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Taylor Hampton, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, and Hadley Hatfield, who posted three points and three steals. That was a full 55% of the Bulldogs' points, marking the seventh time in a row Hampton has earned more than a third of the team's points.

Mustangs

Previous Games

12/20/25 @ Dove Creek	51-20
12/19/25 vs Telluride	67-25
12/13/25 vs Soroco	61-31
12/12/25 @ Caprock Academy	41-24
12/11/25 vs Vail Christian	59-15
+ 3 more games

The win keeps Nucla at an undefeated 8-0. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 52.1 points this season. As for Dove Creek, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-3.

Nucla and Dove Creek will both get a bit of extra prep time before their next contests. The next time the Mustangs see the court they'll take on Ridgway at 5:30 p.m. on January 8, 2026. As for Dove Creek, their break will end when they face Ignacio at 12:00 p.m. on January 10, 2026.