Basketball Game Preview: Magdalena Steers vs. Animas Panthers

Magdalena is a perfect 7-0 against Animas since December of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Magdalena Steers will host the Animas Panthers at 3:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Magdalena has seven straight victories, Animas has 32 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Magdalena is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Reserve: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Magdalena blew Reserve out of the water with a 75-25 final score. The Steers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matchups by 20 points or more this season.

Joseph Zamora

Points

02/06/25 vs Reserve	32
01/30/25 @ Quemado	16
01/28/25 @ Hatch Valley	28

Joseph Zamora continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 14 of 21 en route to 32 points in addition to seven rebounds and five steals. His evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Jeffrey Stuteville, who went 8 for 11 to rack up 16 points and three steals.

Magdalena smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 11 consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Animas was beaten by Cliff 76-40 on Thursday.

Magdalena pushed their record up to 18-4 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 23.7 points over those games. As for Animas, their loss dropped their record down to 0-19.

Everything came up roses for Magdalena against Animas in their previous matchup back in January, as the squad secured a 73-15 victory. Does Magdalena have another victory up their sleeve, or will Animas turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.