The De Beque Dragons came tearing into Friday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24 points) and they left with even more momentum. They had just enough and edged Dove Creek out 41-38. This was payback for De Beque, who suffered a 68-28 loss the last time these two teams met.
De Beque got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Allyson Sandidge out in front who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds. Sandidge also pulled down eight rebounds for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Rachel Graham, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds.
Dove Creek's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ralynn Hickman, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Hickman is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Kalie Gatlin was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Dove Creek were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
De Beque's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Dove Creek, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-2.
De Beque will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against Rangely at 3:00 p.m. on December 9th. Rangely presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than De Beque in Colorado (Rangely is ranked sixth, while De Beque is ranked 76th). Dove Creek won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Nucla at 12:00 p.m. on December 9th. Hopefully Nucla focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 21 on Friday.
