Basketball Game Preview: Santa Rosa Lions vs. Estancia Bears

The Santa Rosa Lions are taking a road trip to face off against the Estancia Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Santa Rosa knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 14 matchups -- so hopefully Estancia likes a good challenge.

It was a proper cat-fight when Santa Rosa faced off against Pecos on Saturday. Santa Rosa fell to Pecos 71-67.

Meanwhile, Estancia was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their 13th straight defeat. They had to suffer through an 89-42 loss at the hands of Pecos. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked 128th, while the Panthers are ranked 48th).

Santa Rosa will need to focus on slowing down Daniel Hernandez, one of several Estancia players who made an impact when they last played. He posted seven points. What's more, Hernandez also posted two steals, the most he's had since back in December of 2024. Jerin LaJeunesse was another key player, putting up eight points.

Santa Rosa's loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 7-1 and their overall record down to 20-4. As for Estancia, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-20.

Everything came up roses for Santa Rosa against Estancia when the teams last played on February 1st, as the squad secured an 86-38 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Santa Rosa since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.