Basketball Game Preview: Zuni Thunderbirds vs. Tohatchi Cougars

Zuni hasn't had much luck against Tohatchi recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Zuni Thunderbirds will square off against the Tohatchi Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Zuni sitting on three straight wins and Tohatchi on 15.

Zuni will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Newcomb, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Zuni walked away with a 49-41 victory over Newcomb on Wednesday. That's two games straight that the Thunderbirds have won by exactly eight points.

Meanwhile, Tohatchi didn't have too much trouble with Wingate on Saturday as they won 65-47. The Cougars pushed the score to 54-30 by the end of the third, a deficit the Bears cut but never quite recovered from.

Zuni better keep an eye on Kyle Yazzie. He was instrumental in Tohatchi's win, almost dropping a double-double with 18 points and nine boards. The matchup was Yazzie's 12th in a row with at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Valentino Dawes, who posted eight points and five rebounds.

Tohatchi smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in December of 2024.

Tohatchi's win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.8 points over those games. As for Zuni, their record is now 14-11.

Zuni was taken down by Tohatchi 73-43 in their previous matchup back in January. Can Zuni avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.