The Escalante Moquis pushed their score all the way to 55 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They lost to Manila on the road by a decisive 70-55 margin. While losing is never fun, Escalante can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 116th, while Manila is ranked 34th).
Several Moquis players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jaxen Cottam, who scored 20 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kendal Gardner, who scored 13 points along with five rebounds.
Escalante has been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-6 record this season. As for Manila, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 8-1.
Escalante won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Monument Valley at 3:00 p.m. on December 16th. Monument Valley is coming into the matchup on a five-game losing streak. Manila won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Wayne at 11:30 a.m. on December 16th. Averaging 62.1 so far this season, Wayne's high-powered offense has been in full-swing lately, so Manila better be ready for a challenge.
