Basketball Recap: Dynamic Duo of Slade Gillen and Brycen Rummel Lead Nucla to Victory

Nucla hadn't done well against Mancos recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Nucla Mustangs were the clear victor by a 58-32 margin over the Mancos Bluejays. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 20 points or more this season.

Leading Nucla to victory were Brycen Rummel and Slade Gillen. Rummel dropped a double-double on 13 points and 17 boards, while Gillen dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds. Rummel is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 27 games he's played dating back to last season. Austin Garvey was another key player, putting up nine points and six rebounds.

Nucla smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in five consecutive matches.

Nucla pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.8 points per game. As for Mancos, they are on a 12-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-11.

Nucla will square off against Ouray at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Nucla is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.6 points per game this season. As for Mancos, they will face off against Dove Creek at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mancos is facing Dove Creek at the right time seeing as Dove Creek is stuck on a four-game losing streak.