The Nucla Mustangs will challenge the Genoa-Hugo/Karval Pirates at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Nucla is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.8 points per game this season.
Nucla is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Telluride: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Nucla blew Telluride out of the water with a 76-9 final score. The victory continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Miners: they've now won nine in a row.
Kendra McCluer
| 02/28/25 vs Telluride | 13 |
| 01/09/25 vs Ridgway | 7 |
| 12/13/24 @ Caprock Academy | 7 |
| 02/26/25 vs Ouray | 6 |
| 12/05/24 vs Creede | 6 |
Nucla's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kendra McCluer led the charge by dropping a triple-double with 14 points, 11 boards, and 13 steals. Those 13 steals gave McCluer a new career-high. Shay Snyder was another key player, shooting 60% from the field on her way to 21 points in addition to seven rebounds and four steals.
Nucla smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 25 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 38 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Genoa-Hugo/Karval waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Wolverines by a score of 35-27.
Genoa-Hugo/Karval's win came from a few key players Nucla will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jayli Lockhart, who went 5-for-7 to rack up 13 points and three steals. Genoa-Hugo/Karval is 5-1 when Lockhart posts three or more steals, but 7-10 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Rylee Corn, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.
Nucla's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-4. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 17.8 points on average over those games. As for Genoa-Hugo/Karval, they now have a winning record of 12-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Nucla has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Genoa-Hugo/Karval struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
