Tucumcari has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the New Mexico Military Institute Colts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Tucumcari is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than New Mexico Military Institute in New Mexico (Tucumcari is ranked 44th, while New Mexico Military Institute is ranked 136th).
Tucumcari put the finishing touches on their tenth blowout victory of the season on Friday. They breezed by Dexter on the road to the tune of 50-20. The team accrued 41 points in the first half and coasted on those for the win.
Tucumcari can attribute much of their success to July Lafferty, who scored 17 points along with six steals, and Caylee Benavidez, who scored 20 points along with six assists and six rebounds. Benavidez has been hot recently, having posted three or more steals the last five times she's played. Another player making a difference was Kyla Lopez, who scored seven points along with six steals.
Meanwhile, New Mexico Military Institute's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their seventh straight defeat. They were dealt a 62-27 loss at the hands of Ruidoso. New Mexico Military Institute has not had much luck with Ruidoso recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Tucumcari pushed their record up to 16-3 with that win, which was their eighth straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.6 points per game. As for New Mexico Military Institute, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-7.
Tucumcari strolled past New Mexico Military Institute when the teams last played back in February of 2023 by a score of 55-37. Will Tucumcari repeat their success, or does New Mexico Military Institute have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
