Basketball Recap: Burges Takes a Loss

Burges suffered their biggest defeat since February 13th on Friday. They might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting the Ysleta Indians an easy 72-48 victory. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Mustangs this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 61-49 back in November.

When it comes to explaining why Burges lost, don't look at Anthony Rubio. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds. That's the most boards Rubio has posted since back in January. Jacob Licerio was another key player, putting up four points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Burges smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.

Azaiah Thompson was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 34 points and 14 rebounds for Ysleta. That makes it ten consecutive games in which Thompson has scored at least a third of Ysleta's points. Another player making a difference was Martin Soria, who posted seven points in addition to five assists and three steals.

Burges' loss was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 8-10. As for Ysleta, they now have a winning record of 11-10.

Burges wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 62-49 defeat against Midland on the 26th. As for Ysleta, they will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Austin at 7:30 p.m. on January 7, 2025. Austin knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past three games -- so hopefully Ysleta likes a good challenge.