Basketball Recap: Bailey Clarence's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Aztec over Bloomfield

It was a proper cat-fight when Aztec challenged Bloomfield on Thursday. The Aztec Tigers fell to the Bloomfield Bobcats 39-34. The Tigers were not able to make up for their defeat to the Bobcats from their previous meeting back in February of 2024.

Aztec lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Bailey Clarence, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 11 rebounds. That's the most boards Clarence has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Autumn Villanueva, who posted two points along with 12 rebounds and seven steals.

Even though they lost, Aztec smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bloomfield only pulled down seven offensive rebounds.

Delanna Russell was the offensive standout of the matchup as she almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine boards. She continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Alexus Begay was another key player, putting up eight points.

This is the second loss in a row for Aztec and nudges their season record down to 9-8. As for Bloomfield, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-6.

Aztec didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 59-18 win against Miyamura on the 25th. Bloomfield has also already played their next game, a 32-26 loss against Shiprock on the 25th.