The Nucla Mustangs will face off against the De Beque Dragons at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Nucla will be strutting in after a victory while De Beque will be coming in after a defeat.
Nucla is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Dolores: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Mustangs blew the Bears out of the water with a 45-14 final score. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 games by 23 points or more this season.
Shay Snyder
| 02/26/26 @ Dolores | 60% |
| 02/21/26 vs Plateau Valley | 50% |
| 02/19/26 @ Ouray | 60% |
Nucla's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Shay Snyder, who posted nine points along with six rebounds and three steals. Snyder is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as she's posted one of at least 50% in the last three games she's played. Darcy Bray was another key player, putting up seven points in addition to nine boards and six assists.
Nucla was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Dolores only racked up two.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 63 points the game before, De Beque was a bit more limited in their contest on Friday. They were beaten by Meeker 65-25. While losing is never fun, the Dragons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 242nd, while the Cowboys are ranked 84th).
Avery Rigsby was De Beque's leading scorer, having posted nine points. Rigsby also led the team in rebounds with nine.
Nucla's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 21-2. Those road wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 19.8 points on average over those games. As for De Beque, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost six of their last eight matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Nucla has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like De Beque struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Nucla against De Beque when the teams last played back in January, as the team secured a 45-18 victory. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Dragons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
