Las Animas was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They took a blow against the McClave Cardinals, falling 72-45. While losing is never fun, the Trojans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 278th, while the Cardinals are ranked 61st).
Despite the loss, Las Animas saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Aaron Vargas went 6-for-15 on his way to 17 points. Another player making a difference was Jerome Ethridge, who posted ten points.
Trojans
| 02/20/25 vs McClave | 45-72 |
| 02/14/25 vs Fowler | 24-57 |
| 02/11/25 vs Granada | 43-57 |
| 02/08/25 @ Calhan | 32-53 |
| 02/07/25 vs Crowley County | 29-78 |
Even though they lost, Las Animas smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive games.
McClave found their leader in sophomore Tuff Kelley, who dropped a double-double with 12 points and 13 boards. The dominant performance also gave Kelley a new career-high in shooting accuracy (86%). Myles Northrup was another key player, putting up ten points and six assists.
Las Animas' defeat dropped their record down to 7-13. As for McClave, their victory bumped their record up to 17-3.
Las Animas wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 75-58 loss against Hoehne on the 21st. As for McClave, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 44-40 win against Cheyenne Wells on the 21st.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
